Children of the Oricalchos
by Riana Mustang
Summary: A princess of Atlantis, and another girl out to avenge her master's death. Both meet and become friends in the midst of a dangerous mission. But there's more going on than meets the eye, and as they say, the best laid plans always fall through the cracks.
1. Of Missions and Meetings

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Authoress(es): Daughter of Dartz and Shaadi, and Apprentice to the Witty Phantom_

_Hikaru: Hi! Back with another one! This one is co-written by my friend Witty._

_Witty: (Comes in) Hi!_

_Yami: Not again._

_Hikaru&Witty: (Chase Yami out)_

_Hikaru: Now, where was I? Oh yeah. (A/N: I changed my penname, so now I'm gonna go by this particular character name for a while) Wow, no insanity this time. (Pouts) Sigh, I never get to have any fun. Someone want to do this disclaimer for me?_

_Ryou: (Nods) Hikaru-chan doesn't own YGO, but anything original belongs to her and her friend._

_Hikaru: (Huggles Ryou) Arigatou, Ree-chan! On with the fic!_

_Chapter 1: Of Missions and Meetings_

"You failed, Alastair"

Alastair cringed inwardly at those words. Though they were soft-spoken, the man speaking them had more than enough power to crush him in an instant. He knelt down, bowing his head slightly, and hoped that the man in front of him with his back facing him would not decide to use his soul as one of the sacrifices to the Great Leviathan.

"My apologies, Master Dartz"

Dartz turned around and looked down at Alastair, his expression unreadable. Alastair shuddered under the intense, mismatched sapphire and golden gaze, though he dared not look up or show any sign of his fear.

"It is of no consequence, Alastair. I will simply have to send another to capture the soul of the Pharaoh," Dartz said.

Alastair risked a glance upwards, his curiosity getting the better of him. Surely he couldn't mean those idiots Raphael and Varon. They had already been dispatched, as had that blonde-haired woman, what was her name? Oh, yes, Mai Valentine. And all three had already failed at taking the soul of the Pharaoh. He noticed that Dartz was no longer even looking at him, the other's gaze instead directed towards a figure lurking around in the shadows.

"Hikaru!" Dartz called.

A moment later, a delicate-looking, slender girl stepped out of the shadows, and Alastair groaned inwardly. Hikaru stepped forward, her long, light blue hair flowing out behind her, her mismatched golden and sapphire eyes that so resembled Dartz's own flashing with an intense inner fire, and yet still giving her an otherworldly, almost innocent appearance. The long skirt of the white dress she wore flared out delicately around her legs, and the dark cape she wore wrapped around her shoulders fluttered out behind her, looking for all the world like the dark wings of a fallen angel who was just as deadly as she was beautiful. A smirk crossed her pretty face when her eyes fell on Alastair, who was still kneeling down before the alter of the Great Leviathan. Alastair tensed, he had always despised that girl, and the feeling of hatred between them had always been mutual. He wanted to slap that smug smirk right off her face, but knew he didn't dare, or face the wrath of her father, Dartz.

"Yes, father?" Hikaru said, kneeling down before him, looking up at him.

"I have a mission for you. I want you to infiltrate the Pharaoh's group of friends, and once you've gained their trust, you will lead them here. You are not to let on who you truly are, though," Dartz answered.

This caused Hikaru to snicker in amusement, and she glanced over at Alastair. "I see the she-man over there was too incompetent to handle the job, then. Never send an amatuer to do an expert's job, I suppose," she commented, knowing the remark would tick Alastair off, but not really caring. She couldn't stand him, anyway. She never had liked him, ever since she had first laid eyes on him.

"What did you say, you little wretch?!" Alastair demanded angrily, 'convienently' forgetting that her father was standing there, watching the two get into yet another argument.

Hikaru smirked. "I think I just called you an amatuer and a she-man who's too incompetent to handle even a simple job like this," she repeated calmly.

"I swear, one of these days, you little--!" Alastair started when Dartz intervened, his eyes flashing dangerously.

It was then that Alastair realized that he had gone too far. Threatening the younger girl wasn't exactly what one would consider as being a particularly smart move anyway, but to do so in front of her father was like having a death wish. Alastair growled softly, but went silent, his heart pounding in fear of what Dartz would do to him.

"That's enough. You will not threaten my daughter again, or it will be your soul I use as a sacrifice to the Great Leviathan," Dartz snapped, his tone becoming deadly quiet.

Hikaru glared at Alastair, a light blue energy ball forming in her hand and quickly becoming darker as she added more of her power to it. She was about to let it loose when she felt Dartz lay his hand on her shoulder, a gesture that was meant to silently tell her to calm herself. A look of disappointment crossed her face for a moment, before she let the energy ball disappate harmlessly into the air around them. The look on her face a moment later, however, seemed to tell Alastair that he may have gotten lucky this time, but next time she would not be quite so forgiving of such a thing. His only response was a sneer sent in her direction, but she ignored it, instead turning her attention back to her father.

"You may leave, Alastair," Dartz said, and Alastair stood up and stormed out of the chamber, leaving the other two alone.

Once Alastair had gone, Dartz pulled two objects from a hidden pouch beneath his cloak and handed them to Hikaru. One was a Seal of Oricalchos card, while the other was a pendant hanging from a thin silver chain, and the charm itself was silver as well, and in the center of it was a shard from the Oricalchos Stone. "Take these, you will need them," Dartz replied quietly.

Hikaru took the offered items, slipping the pendant around her neck and tucking the charm itself beneath the fabric of the top of her dress, and took her deck which was similar in many ways to Yugi Motou's from a small pouch that hung at her side, and slipped the Seal of Oricalchos into it before replacing it in the pouch again. Then she stood up gracefully, brushing a few strands of hair away from her eyes.

"I won't fail you, father," she said softly, her eyes shining with determination.

Dartz offered a rare smile and nodded. "I know you won't, my child. Now, go pack what you will need, you are to leave in the morning," he said.

Hikaru nodded, hugged her father briefly and offered a slight bow, then turned and left the chamber, heading back for her private room. She moved silently through the corridors of their Atlantean home, her movements like that of liquid silver. She was about to turn down the hallway to her room when she sensed the presence of a stranger lurking in the darkness behind her. She stopped, her entire body going tense like a coiled spring, and summoned an energy ball in to her hand.

"I know you're there. Come out and face me, whoever you are"

She got no answer, so she turned and hurled the energy ball into the darkness behind her, not really aiming for the intruder, and it hit the wall next to whoever was there, causing them to flinch back out of the way, huddling closer to the wall. But it gave Hikaru a brief view of whoever was there, and she was surprised to see a girl close to her own age lingering there, who was holding a dagger in one hand and was brandishing it at her. The other stepped out of the shadows, circling Hikaru once or twice, holding the dagger out at arm's length in a defensive gesture.

"You're not going to throw another of those things at me, are you? I wouldn't suggest it," the stranger spoke, finally coming to a stop in front of Hikaru.

Hikaru didn't even appear to be phased by the other girl's hidden threat. "That depends. Why don't you start by telling me who you are and how you got here," Hikaru said, another energy ball forming in her hand as she did so.

Before the other girl could speak, though, they heard footsteps approaching. Hikaru silently cursed, letting the energy ball in her hand disappate harmlessly into the air. Then she glanced over at the other girl, and deciding she would rather take her chances than let anyone else know the other had gotten in there, she opened the door to her room and shoved the other girl inside. The other looked at her questioningly, but Hikaru just shook her head.

"Hide in here, and don't make any sound. I'll get rid of whoever's coming," she whispered, and with that, shut the door quickly just as she saw Alastair approaching. "Ugh, now what do you want?"  
"You think you're pretty smart, making me look like a fool back there, don't you?" Alastair demanded.

Hikaru snorted derisively. "Please, you made yourself look like an idiot. It just comes naturally to you, I didn't have to do a thing. Now, state your business before I blast you into hell with my magic. I'm sure my father could easily find someone to replace you," she said with a smirk.

Alastair growled low in his throat and was about to say something else, but for some reason that not even he could explain, seemed to think better of it. His eyes narrowed and he stalked away, muttering darkly under his breath, something about strangling the blue-haired girl in her sleep and killing her slowly and painfully. Hikaru rolled her eyes, as she had heard the same thing before, and then seemed to remember the intruder. She glanced around to make sure no one else was lurking in the hallways, then ducked into her room, shutting the door behind her, and turned to the other girl who had perched herself on the window ledge and was looking at Hikaru warily, but curiosity shone plainly in the stranger's eyes too.

"Why did you let me hide? You could have just as easily have given me away to whoever that was," the girl spoke finally, watching as Hikaru started moving about the room.

Hikaru just shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's because I haven't had any human contact except for my family and their three followers," she replied casually, turning to face the other girl.

"Oh. So who are you, anyway"

"The name's Hikaru. Hikaru Shinatoru." She shrugged again. "And you know, I should be asking you the same thing, as long as you're not planning on shoving that dagger of yours into my back or something"

_To Be Continued....Mwah hahaha! Okay, I know it's been a while since I've posted anything, so I'm gonna do that now with this one to make up for being gone so long. Although I'm sure I haven't been that missed here. (Sobs) I'm kidding, just joking! (Chibi smile) Anyway, I'll have the next two chapters of this up tonight. R&R please, but no flames. I'm serious. If you have constructive criticism to offer, then fine. But no mindless flames like (coughcough) certain people made on my "Of Dragons and Dogs" fic, which isn't going to be put back up here, but if you want to see it, leave me your email addy in a review and I'll send it to you. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. It got unnecessarily attacked and then taken down when I posted it last time, and I don't need to deal with that again. Maybe I overreacted to having it flamed, and to the one who said that I flame other ppl who don't "praise my stuff", I wasn't flaming you in return, I said what I did to make a point, pure and simple. You don't want other ppl flaming your stuff, so don't do it yourself. Besides, who here among you wouldn't have defended something you'd created with all you had? (Hears nothing) Yes, that's what I thought. Well, okay, I'm going to stop rambling now and put up the next two chapters. Ja ne, minna-san!_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	2. Of Pranks and Friendships

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: Here's the second part of this._

_Witty: We hope you like it! !_

_Yami: (Has been tied up with duct tape over his mouth)_

_Hikaru: Well, that's what he gets for what he did to poor Yugi._

_Witty: (Nods) We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours!_

_Hikaru: (Smiles) Now, on with the fic!_

_Chapter 2: Of Pranks and Friendships_

The girl grinned. "No," she said. "You just saved my life--besides, this dagger's blade's for someone else." She studied her dagger. It was gold hilted, with a coil on the tip of the hilt and jewels glistened in the firelight from along the walls of the room. "My name's Witty," she said. "Hikaru...Hmm. Nice name. I was named after my master, the legendary Witty Phantom. He taught me everything I know-- from thieving, to magic and..." Her voice trailed off. "He was killed a long time ago," she said. "His soul was banished into a card in the game of Duel Monsters and ever since I heard the name of my master's killer, I've been on a quest for justice."

Hikaru frowned. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "Who banished him?"

"Dartz," Witty said darkly. "That's the name I heard the day my master's soul was stolen."

Hikaru's mismatched eyes went very wide with her shock, and she let out a soft gasp when Witty mentioned the name Dartz. She shook her head in denial. Surely her father wouldn't do something so heartless. Sure, he wanted the soul of the Pharaoh, but to actually kill somebody? She turned away from Witty and sat down on her bed, staring off into nothingness.

"It's not possible....." Hikaru whispered softly. "He'd never kill someone"

"Hey, you all right?" Witty asked, waving her hand in front of the other girl's face to get her attention.

Hikaru glanced up at Witty and shook her head. "Yeah, I...I'm fine"

"You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost or something, and you were muttering about something"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I was just thinking about something, that's all. Hey, I'm leaving for Domino City in the morning, you want to come with me?" Hikaru asked, hoping beyond all hope that Witty wouldn't discover her secret. If she did, it would be all over.

Witty offered a slight shrug. "Sure, why not? Might as well"

Hikaru smiled, and for the first time in a long time, it was genuine. "Good. You can stay here tonight since no one else knows you're here." _And_, she thought, _I can't risk her finding out about father. I don't know what to believe. He would never kill anyone, I know he wouldn't. I mean, yeah, he's not the nicest person in the world to Alastair and those other idiots, but mother and I know how he truly is. He's too gentle to kill anyone, I know it!_

"So, Witty, just out of curiosity, how did you find this place, anyway? I mean, it's not exactly in the most convienient of spots."

Witty took out her dagger and studied its shining silver blade. "My master told me about this place in his stories. He found this dagger in the desert and gave it to me when I completed my first theft and magic trick." She shrugged. "Plus, once you get travelers to talk to you for an hour or so, you learn a lot." She grinned. "You want to see a trick?"

Hikaru grinned back at her. "Yeah. Show me."

"Okay...who was that guy that walked past here before you pushed me in here?"

"Oh, that was Alistair--um...one of the guards of the palace," Hikaru said in a white lie.

Witty sneaked over to the doorway and peaked around the corner. Just her luck, she saw the woman-look-alike walking down the hallway with his back to her.

Witty gestured to Hikaru and the girl joined her side. "Careful," Hikaru whispered.

"I know," Witty whispered back. "Watch him," she said gleefully. As Hikaru watched, Witty muttered words in a runic spell and a quick _POP_ sound resounded in the hallway.

When next the girls saw Alistair, he wore a fluffy white dress with baby-pink ruffles for the sleeves! Hikaru muffled a laugh and the girls quickly turned back into the room. They stared at each other in dead silence until they heard a blood-curdling scream down the hall.

They burst out laughing when suddenly, the voice of another so-called "guard" said darkly to Alistair in the hallway: "What by Ra are you wearing, Alistair?" His voice was much too close to the room and the girls gasped.

"I'M GONNA KILL THAT LITTLE BRAT!" the girls heard Alastair scream.

Hikaru looked over at the door, then at Witty. "Quick, hide! I'll get rid of them," she said.

Witty nodded and darted into the closet, shutting the door silently just as loud pounding could be heard on the other side of the door to Hikaru's room. She made sure Witty was out of sight before she opened the door, putting on a cold glare, her two-tone eyes flashing dangerously. She held back the urge to roll her eyes when she noticed that the other one standing there with Alastair was the other thorn in her side, a tall, blonde-haired tough guy wanna-be by the name of Raphael. She raised one pale eyebrow at Alastair, trying to keep from laughing at the dress he had suddenly found himself wearing.

"That's a new look for you. I always knew you were a she-man, but this just proves my point," she remarked a bit smugly, looking rather pleased with herself, or rather, with Witty, but they didn't know about the other girl, and Hikaru intended to keep it that way, for her friend's sake. She frowned inwardly, when had she begun to see the other girl as a friend? _Oh well_, she thought to herself and shrugged the thought aside for the time being.

"This is a new low, even for you, you annoying little wretch," Alastair growled.

"Oh, I don't know, I think it looks good on you," Hikaru snickered, turning to Raphael. "What do you think? Because you know, I seriously think you could use a make-over too"

Raphael didn't answer. That was when she noticed the very much irritated gleam in Alastair's eyes and the way he seemed to be plotting the best way to kill her and make it look like an accident in his mind. She summoned an energy ball into her hand, and it quickly became darker and larger as she added more of her power to it. The look on her face was a pure challenge, seeming almost to want him to try something so she would have a reason to blast him into the underworld with her magic. It truly was too bad that her father insisted on keeping the fool around, really. She would have liked nothing more than to dispose of him. But she was again denied the chance when Raphael sent a glare her way, then grabbed the woman-look-alike and dragged him off down the corridors away from her room. She sighed in relief when they were gone and shut the door again.

"They're gone, you can come out now," she said quietly.

A moment later, Witty emerged from her hiding spot and walked over to Hikaru, who seemed to not even notice the energy ball still in her hand. Witty cast a slightly nervous glance towards the energy ball, then looked at Hikaru. The other girl's eyes had suddenly taken on a distant look, as if she was seeing something that Witty could not. But whatever the reason, the glazed look in Hikaru's eyes vanished just as quickly as it had come, and she shook her head as if to clear it. Noticing the energy ball still burning in her hand, she let it dissapate harmlessly into the air around them.

"You all right?" Witty asked.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said, hoping that Witty wouldn't press the matter.

Luck seemed to be on her side tonight, though, for Witty said no more about it. "So who was that other guy with--what did you say his name was? Alastair"

Hikaru just offered a slight shrug. "Just another one of the guards, Raphael. He's pretty much your typical big, dumb, tough-guy wanna-be. I don't know which of those two is more annoying, really," she explained.

Witty nodded. "Oh."

Then she perched herself on the window ledge again, watching as Hikaru moved around the room, shoving various items into a large duffel bag. For lack of anything better to do, really, Witty brought out her own deck and started looking through it, a slightly sad look in her eyes as she did so. Hikaru noticed out of the corner of her eye and looked up, watching for a moment before she finally spoke.

"You play Duel Monsters?" she asked curiously.

Witty nodded. "A little, yes"

Hikaru nodded and brought out her own deck. "I do too. My father taught me the game." She pulled out two cards from her deck and showed them to Witty. They were Change of Heart and Dark Magician Girl. "These two are my favorites. Hey, I just thought of something. Do you have a Witty Phantom one?" she asked, hoping she wouldn't upset the other.

Witty shook her head sadly. "No, I don't. I just never really could bear to see his soul trapped in a card, but...." Witty trailed off.

Hikaru seemed to know what she was trying to say and nodded. Then she put her deck away and offered Witty a smile. Witty looked at her curiously, wondering what the other girl was thinking.

"Wait here, I'll be right back," she said, then left the room, closing the door behind her.

She made her way quickly through the corridors towards the gardens where Shaadi could more often than not be found when he wasn't with her or Dartz. Sure enough, Shaadi was there, sitting on the edge of a fountain that very closely resembled that of one of the four Legendary Dragons. She had always thought it looked like Tomiyas, but Dartz had told her it was actually the fourth nameless Dragon that he claimed. She walked over to Shaadi, hugging him briefly, pouting slightly when he ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Hello, little one"

"Hi. Umm, mother? May I have one of your special cards?" she asked quietly.

"Which one?" Shaadi asked.

"The Witty Phantom card"

Shaadi, as if sensing there was a reason for wanting the card that she wasn't willing to speak of, smiled and nodded. "You have a friend you want to give it to, am I right"

Hikaru gasped quietly and looked up at him with wide, two-tone eyes. "I...how"

Shaadi winked. "Don't worry, I won't tell your father about it." He took a card from the folds of his robe and handed it to her.

Hikaru smiled and practically glomped him. "Thank you."

Then she took off running back towards her room, hoping none of the others had figured out that Witty was hiding there. As she got closer, she heard voices and her eyes went wide again. But strangely enough, one of them sounded eerily like her own. She peered around the corner and saw Alastair and a doppleganger of herself arguing before he finally stormed away again. She ducked back into the shadows so she wouldn't be noticed, then darted into her room, closing the door behind her, and turned to Witty, who was perched on the window ledge again in her normal form, chuckling at the red-haired 'guard's' obvious stupidity. Hikaru looked at her curiously, tilting her head slightly to one side.

"Just a little trick I picked up from my master. He showed me how to make myself look and sound exactly like anyone I wanted. Alastair came back while you were gone, so I had to make him think I was you. Sorry about that," she explained.

Hikaru just laughed. "Don't worry about it. Do you think you can show me that trick when we get to Domino?"

Witty nodded. "Sure. Where'd you disappear to, anyway"

It was then Hikaru remembered the card in her hand. "Oh, I have something for you. Here, I hope you like it"

"What is it?" Witty asked, her curiosity starting to get the better of her. Her eyes went very wide when Hikaru handed her the Witty Phantom card. Tears filled her eyes but did not fall, and she looked up at Hikaru. "Thank you. You don't know how much this means to me," she said quietly, lightly running her hand along the card a couple of times fondly. "Master...." she whispered.

"Consider it a gift. It's a symbol of our friendship," Hikaru said. Then she squeaked in surprise when Witty hugged her, and returned it after a moment, the two finally moving back and smiling at each other. Witty placed the card carefully in her deck, tucking it away in her pocket.

"So what did Alastair want this time? I notice he wasn't wearing the dress anymore," Hikaru asked, looking a little disappointed that she couldn't razz him about the dress anymore.

_To Be Continued....here's the next part of this. Hope you like it. Yes, Shaadi and Dartz are together, and Hikaru is their daughter. And yes, she calls Shaadi 'mother'. Very long, odd story behind this. I've never seen that particular pairing before though, and I thought they could be very cute together. Although I do think Dartz would be the more aggressive seme, though....(Snickers) Okay, sorry, my mind just wandered into the gutter for a moment. (Yanks it far away from said gutter) Sorry to anyone out there who is a fan of either Raphael or Alastair, but there will be much bashing of the two, just because they're fun characters to mess with. Besides, they make the perfect villians. Although I can see Alastair as still just being the henchman. And there's a rivalry between those two and Hikaru, as I've started to show, again, a very long story behind that. Anyway, sorry if this part was a little bit short. Well, I'm gonna go now. Ja ne, minna-san!_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	3. Dangerous Secrets and A Narrow Escape

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back with the third part of this!_

_Witty: (Is hyper) Yup!_

_Yugi: Who let them have sugar?_

_Yami: Mmmmmmmppppphhh!!!! (Translation: UNTIE ME NOW!)_

_Hikaru: Forget it, Pharaoh. (Gives Witty the F.F.P.O.D.) Here. Please make him stop._

_Witty: (Evil smile) Okay! (Thwaps Yami)_

_Yami: XX_

_Hikaru: We don't own YGO (Sobs) but anything original is ours! Ours, you hear us?! Mwah hahaha!!! (Calms down) On with the fic!_

_Chapter 3: Dangerous Secrets And A Narrow Escape_

"Oh," Witty said and tucked her hands into her pockets. Her hand cupped the top of her deck and touched the Witty Phantom card. "Alistair just came and wanted to kill you for your magic. He said something between his rants on how dangerous it was to play around with magic when they are so close to victory over the pharaoh." She paused. "Is the pharaoh anyone you know"

Hikaru tensed slightly at the mention of the Pharaoh, though she didn't let it show. Instead she just shook her head, then reached up and brushed a few stray strands of her light blue hair away from her sapphire and golden eyes. "No, I don't know who he's talking about. I don't think he does either. Don't pay any attention to him, he says stuff like that all the time. Quite frankly, I don't think he's all there upstairs, if you know what I mean," she replied, twirling her finger around the side of her head in the universal gesture of insanity and offering a slight shrug.

Witty stared at the other girl for a moment, as if trying to see through to her very soul itself, and Hikaru cursed silently to herself. It seemed she was going to have to have a word with Alastair later. But she'd have to do it without letting him find out about Witty, because if he did, he'd open his big mouth and blab it to her father, and then things would be even more screwed up. That, and she didn't want her friend to be hurt, she had meant what she'd said when she had given the Witty Phantom card to the other girl, about it being a symbol of their friendship. Hikaru didn't want to lose that. Plus if Witty were to find out that the man she was out to take revenge on was Hikaru's father, all chaos really would break loose.

"I'll take your word for it, Hikaru. I really hope you're not hiding something from me," Witty said, her tone taking on a serious note.

Hikaru shook her head again. "I'm not, I promise," she said, really starting to hate the awkward position she had been backed into. She sighed and sat down on her bed, glancing over at the other girl, who had once again perched herself upon the window ledge that she seemed to have suddenly become quite fond of for some unknown reason or another.

Witty watched the girl for a long moment. She squeezed her deck in her pocket and imagined asking a question to her master. A scene played out in her mind:

_"Master, what did you tell me about trust?"_

_The Witty Phantom, alive and tall dressed in his purple suit held the rim of his hat and winked at his apprentice. "If they know your heart, they're a friend."_

Witty smiled at Hikaru. "Thank you, Hikaru," she said. "For hiding me, and..." She glanced down at her pocket. "And for my card."

Hikaru smiled back at her. "Of course. What are friends for?"

Witty nodded. A thought came to her just then. What if Dartz was that pharaoh Alistair was talking about? Maybe Hikaru could help her. _But then again, with Alistair, the lights are on, but nobody's home. On the other hand..._ Witty shook her head and adjusted her hat upon her head. _Just trust her!_ She told herself. _Why would she lie to you?!_

Witty glanced back to Hikaru's door. Maybe one of the other guards knew something about Dartz...

"Hikaru? Do you think anyone around here knows anything about my master's killer? My path has led me here and my master always taught me to follow my heart." She reached under her vest and touched the hilt of her dagger. "It can't be coincidence." She paused. "Do you think that perhaps...if there really is a pharaoh somewhere, do you think he could be the Dartz I'm looking for"

Hikaru shrugged, not really sure what to say. She was really starting to hate the position she was in now. But how could she tell her friend that her father was the man she was looking for? Her eyes turned sad for just a brief second, but then it vanished just as quickly as it had come, and she leaned back, staring up at the ceiling.

"I don't know, Witty. I guess we'll find out if he's the one when we get to Domino, if this so-called Pharaoh even exists"

She couldn't tell Witty that her father was the one she was after. However heartless he might have been towards those three idiots, she knew his true nature. He just couldn't have killed someone. But Witty's story had tugged at something in her heart, and she knew the other girl wasn't lying to her about her master being killed. She sighed again, letting her eyes close for a moment, then she turned and glanced over at Witty, who was still watching her. She saw the pain of loss in the other's eyes, and her heart went out to Witty. And, she had to admit, she'd be doing the exact same thing if anything were to happen to Shaadi or Dartz. She felt herself suddenly being torn in two different directions, and she just shook her head, trying to shove the thoughts out of her mind for the time being.  
_  
I wish I could tell you the truth, Witty, I really do. But I think it's best for now, at least, that you don't know_, Hikaru thought to herself regretfully, idly wondering how she always managed to get herself into messes like this. _I'm truly sorry, my friend. Please, forgive me. _Hikaru sighed again and turned her gaze up to the ceiling once more, the light from the flickering torches that lit the room casting eerie shadows across the faces of the two girls. Neither of them took any notice of it at all. Both were too caught up in their own thoughts to take any notice of it.

When Hikaru glanced over at Witty again, she noticed that the other girl had dozed off. She stood up, grabbed a blanket from her bed and draped it over her friend, knowing all-too-well from experience just how cold it could get some nights sleeping by that particular window. She was about to go lay back down herself when she heard the sound of someone knocking gently on her door. She sighed, glancing over at Witty for a moment, then slipped out of the room, shutting the door behind her before whoever was there could see the other girl. She looked up and saw her father's third henchman standing there.

"What is it, Varon?" she asked.

"Hikaru, your father wishes to see you," Varon replied.

She nodded and started back towards the temple, glancing back over her shoulder to make sure Varon had left. She hid the slight blush that crept onto her face behind the veil of her sky-colored hair and continued through the corridors. She reached the temple a few minutes later, and saw her father standing there, waiting for her. She approached him, wondering what he wanted to see her about.

"Yes, father?" she asked.

"I have one more thing to give you that you will need on your mission, little one," he said.

Hikaru nodded, looking at him cuiously, her head tilted slightly to one side. Dartz turned and walked over to the alter behind him, picking up one of the three Egyptian God Cards. He moved back over to her and handed her the card. She took it and glanced down at it, noticing that he had given her the Winged Dragon of Ra. She slipped it into her deck and looked up at Dartz.

"You must not lose that card, or let the Pharaoh know that you have it," he said.

Hikaru nodded again. "You have my word that I won't, father"

Dartz smiled slightly and hugged his daughter, kissing her softly on the forehead. "I know you won't. Now, go get some rest, little one," he said, using his old nickname for her.

She smiled a little and stepped back. Then she turned and left the temple, wandering through the corridors towards her room, lost in thought. An odd thought of possibly using Witty to get the Pharaoh popped into her head for just a brief moment, and she shook her head, pushing it aside. _No, I can't do that to her! She's my friend, for Ra's sake!  
_  
Hikaru was snapped out of her reverie, though, by the sound of hushed voices speaking in the semi-darkness just up ahead, though she couldn't quite make out what they were saying. Her two-tone eyes went very wide with shock when she saw Raphael and Alastair, and she ducked back into a hallway, peering around the corner and trying desperately not to be noticed as she evesdropped on them.

_What's going on? Why would those two be meeting in secret like this?_ Just then she noticed that Alastair held something in his hand, though for a second she couldn't tell what it was.

"It is done, as you asked," Alastair said in almost a whisper, handing what looked suspiciously like a Duel Monsters card to Raphael, who nodded and placed it in his back pocket for safe-keeping.

_Is that one of the other two Egyptian God Cards?!_ Hikaru gasped softly, and then realized her mistake when the two looked in her direction, both glaring at her. She took a step back, fear shining in her sapphire and gold eyes, then turned and ran. She heard angry voices behind her and ran faster, almost blindly, back towards her room.

"The brat saw us! She's getting away! Grab her!" Alastair shouted as Hikaru bolted, and Raphael took off after her.

He finally caught up to her and grabbed her roughly, his arm going around her waist. She started to scream, but he clamped a hand over her mouth to muffle the girl's desperate cries for help. She struggled, twisting and thrashing wildly in the other's grip, but it was no use. She couldn't break free, he was much stronger than she was physically.

Fear shimmered in her eyes as she realized that he was taking her back to where he had left Alastair, and that she was outnumbered. That was when she decided to use drastic measures and kicked him as hard as she could in the groin. He yelped in pain, letting go of his hold on her and fell to the ground. She ran from him again, summoning an energy ball in to her hand as she did so and hurled it behind her, shielding her escape.

Finally she reached her room, and ducked inside, slamming the door shut quickly behind her and locking it. Then she fell to her knees, exhausted and scared. The noise from the door being shut so harshly had woken up Witty, though, and the girl sat up, looking around, trying to figure out what was going on.

"Huh? Wha...what's going on?" Witty muttered, then glanced over at Hikaru. "Hikaru, are you all right? What's wrong?" she asked, moving to her friend's side and looking at her worriedly.

Hikaru tensed when she heard footsteps and angry voices approaching her room. She looked at the door fearfully, knowing the lock wouldn't hold out for very long. She stood up a bit shakily, grabbed the duffel bag that was still on her bed and looked over at Witty.

"Come on, we have to leave now!" she said, her voice almost a whisper.

"What....why?" Witty asked, looking at her curiously now.

"Just please....trust me. We can't stay here right now," she said by way of an explanation.

With that she grabbed her friend's arm and they slipped out the window just as the door started to cave in under Raphael's attempts to break it down. The two girls ran for the chamber where the motorcycles and other vehicles were kept, and it was only then that Hikaru let go of her hold on Witty's arm. Hikaru hurried over to her personal motorcycle, using her magic to hotwire it and another one while she secured her bag to the back of the seat and got on. She put her helmet on and tossed a spare one to Witty.

"Here, take this! I hotwired one of the other motorcycles! Take that one and follow me, we're leaving for Domino tonight!"

Witty nodded, placing the helmet on her head and got onto the other motorcycle. The two then rode off into the darkness towards Domino City. Hikaru's heart was still beating wildly, and thoughts raced rampant through her mind like an adrenaline rush.

_What was that all about? Why did they meet in secret just to exchange a Duel Monsters card, unless Alastair managed to steal either Slifer the Sky Dragon or Obelisk the Tormentor. I have the Winged Dragon of Ra. That must be it! Otherwise they wouldn't have tried to chase after me like they did. Normally they wouldn't risk something like that, because they know father won't allow anyone to hurt me. _She closed her eyes for just a brief second before opening them again and glancing towards the sky.

_Change of Heart, Dark Magician Girl, please, grant me the strength to do this, my spirit creatures. Father, I hope you and mother will be all right. There's something more than even we realize going on here.  
_  
She sighed, pushing the thoughts away from her mind for the time being as she finally started to calm down. She tightened her grip slightly on the motorcycle and glanced behind her to see if Witty was still there. Sure enough, the other girl was behind her, and was starting to move up beside her. She noticed the questioning look she got from Witty out of the corner of her eyes, but didn't say anything about it. All of this was starting to give her a really bad migraine, but she ignored it as they headed towards the city of Domino.

_To Be Continued.....Sorry if this part is a bit short, but it's the last part I have right now, until my friend sends her next part. Hopefully I'll have the next part up soon, though. Next chapter the girls reach Domino, but what will happen? Hikaru has never once seen the outside world, so a lot of things could happen. I think I'll just keep you all guessing for a while, though. Mwah hahaha!! Well, ja ne, minna-san!_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	4. Memories, An Odd Encounter, And The Sear...

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: Hi! We're back with another part! This part is written entirely by Witty._

_Witty: (Can be seen snagging Rex's hat off his head and tosses it to Hikaru) Here, catch!_

_Hikaru: (Catches the hat and tosses it back to Witty) Keep-away with Dino-butt's hat! (Cackles evilly) Someone want to do the disclaimer? Hey, bug-boy! Why don't you make yourself useful and do the disclaimer?_

_Weevil: Forget it!_

_Hikaru: (Summons an energy ball into her hand) I'll ask again._

_Weevil: (Squeaks) Okay, okay! Witty and Hikaru don't own YGO but anything original is theirs! (Hides behind Rex)_

_Hikaru: Good little worm. (Lets the energy ball disappate) And now, on with the fic! (Runs off to join Witty in the game of keep-away)_

_Chapter 4: Memories, An Odd Encounter, And The Search For Yugi Motou Begins_

Witty watched her friend and wondered why they had to escape into the night like that. She looked up into the sky and thought of her master. She recalled his words of a story when he gave the dagger to her.

_She recalled a Witty much younger. That younger Witty laughed when the Witty Phantom popped his purple hat off his head, ricocheted if off his elbow and watched it land on his apprentice's head. The girl laughed. "And what happened when you stole the dagger?" Her eyes were full of spirit back then. _

_The Phantom had winked at her and grinned. "They came at me from every side," he said in his storyteller voice of mystique and enchantment. "But I was too quick for them. I grabbed one of the ninjas by the wrist, pulled him aside, and swiped his dagger from his belt. Before they could catch me, I dashed off into the night!"_

Witty shut her eyes to hide tears. She pressed harder on the pedal and caught up to Hikaru. Soon, the sun rose and welcomed them into the city called Domino.

Once they parked their bikes behind a fast food joint, Witty waved her hat over the bikes and made them camouflage against the brick wall. Her and Hikaru took to walking from there for a while until they bumped--literally--into two strange teenagers.

Witty and Hikaru both fell at the same time, and fell on their tailbones at the same time. And they cursed at the same time: "Son of a Dark Necrofereiass!"

They looked at each other for a moment before Hikaru grinned and said, "Jinx!"

Witty snapped her fingers, and hit her fist into her opposite palm. "Darn it!" She grinned too and was glad to see Hikaru smiling back at her.

One of the teenagers ruined the moment with a rough voice that sounded like a growl: "Learn to walk the sidewalk!"

The other grumbled, but his voice was higher, and much more irritating to the ear: "That's the second time that's happened this week!"

Witty and Hikaru winced at his voice but got to their feet in a hurry. Witty fixed her hat upon her head and glared at them. "Anyone teach you manners?"

Hikaru flexed her fingers, as if ready to summon a dark energy ball, but then she seemed to think twice of it. _Wait for it later._

"We're looking for someone," she reasoned with them. "Do you two happen to know anyone by the name of Yugi Mouto?"

The two instantly looked up at the girls. The one who wore gold-rimmed glasses with a beetle at the bridge of the nose smiled, as if as a friend. "Oh--of course we know Yugi," he said. "He's our friend."

The other stared cock-eyed at his companion. "Weevil, what the--?"

The one named Weevil slapped the other in the mouth. "Rex and I are dear friends of Yugi. We even know where he lives." He grinned up at Hikaru and she stared down at him like a cat to a mouse.

The one named Rex hopped up and down for a moment, tolerating the pain his so-called friend had granted him, and then straightened up. He nodded and agreed with Weevil. "uh--yeah! We'll take you right to him!" He looked at Weevil. "Right to him, right?"

Weevil nodded and snickered.

Hikaru and Witty exchanged uneasy looks, but Hikaru was the first to step forward. Witty figured what--the--hex, and followed her.

They soon came upon a small shop that had two floors to it: The top was the home to the owner, and the bottom was the store itself. When Weevil and Rex led Witty and Hikaru through the doors, an elderly man wearing green overalls stepped behind the corner and wiped the counter clean with a gray dirty rag. He smiled at the girls. "Welcome," he said in a gruff voice. "How can I be of--?" When he saw Rex and Weevil follow behind the girls, he rushed out from behind the counter and glared furiously down at them. "What are you two troublemakers doing in my shop?! Get out! Get out"

Weevil looked helplessly at Hikaru, but the girl merely crossed her arms and smirked at the little bug-eyed boy. Weevil, suddenly desperate, ran behind Hikaru. Rex followed and when the man stormed over to them, Hikaru quickly stepped behind Witty, taking Rex and Weevil with her like a long tail of some sort. "Uh, Witty," she said. "Help."

Witty looked over her shoulder as the man approached her. "What?! You're the one with the dark energy ball!"

The man grumbled and glared at Witty. "Are you all together, because if you are, then none of you are welcome in my shop!"

Witty smiled sheepishly at him. "Uh, no sir," she said. "Me and my friend are looking for someone and these two boys told us they knew where we could find him."

The man took a mere step back, as if allowing her to have her excuse. "Who are you looking for, young lady?"

"Yu--" She looked over her shoulder at Hikaru.

Hikaru answered for her. "Yugi Mouto," she said.

The man gasped and stepped back from them. "Oh, you're looking for my grandson," he said.

The two girls sighed relief when the man smiled kindly at them.

So, while the storekeeper talked to Hikaru and told her all she asked of him, Witty, Rex and Weevil hung out at the counters that showed Duel Monsters cards. When Weevil wasn't looking, Witty swiped Rex's hat off his head and and flung it into the air toward Hikaru. "Hikaru! Catch!"

Hikaru didn't even look away from the storekeeper as her hand flew up, caught the hat, and then happily flung it back toward Witty. "Go on," she told Yugi's grandpa as he kept talking.

While Hikaru spoke with Mr. Mouto, Rex jumped up and down behind her and tried desperately to get his hat back. Weevil growled at Rex. "Rex! Stop playing around!"

"Give me back my hat!"

Witty swiped her purple hat off and dropped Rex's hat into it. She used her magic, and then showed the hollow of her hat to Rex. "Oh," she said with a surprised look. "Hmm? Hmm? Gone," she shrugged.

Rex flushed red and Witty swore she could almost hear steam whistling from his ears.

Hikaru nodded to the storekeeper. "Thank you for your help, Mr. Mouto," she said and turned around. "Witty," she called. "Stop showing off."

Witty frowned, grumbled and then hit the top of her hat over Rex's head. Rex's hat fell out and plopped right onto Rex's face.

As Witty and Hikaru left the store, Weevil and Rex went up to Grandpa Mouto. "Perhaps," Weevil said. "We can do business in cards later on"

"Get out of here!" Grandpa Mouto barked.

Weevil and Rex shrieked and ran out of the store, close to Hikaru and Witty's heels.

_To Be Continued. Well, there's chapter four. Hope you all enjoy it! Next chapter Hikaru ends up getting into a bit of trouble and Witty has to step in. If I can, I'll try to get chapter five up today, but I make no guarantees. I'll try, though. And I know I haven't updated any of my other stories for a while, but I'm going to try to do that soon too. (Ignoring the doubtful looks I'm getting) Well, I'm gonna make this A/N kinda short, because there's not much to say here. (Hears crickets chirping) (Sigh) R&R, please, and no flames! I'm serious. Anything CONSTRUCTIVE is fine, but if you flame it, I shall unleash all the powers of the Great Leviathan and the underworld on you. (Cackles evilly) Ahem. Yes, well....ja ne, minna-san! (Goes back to tormenting Weevil and Rex)_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	5. Yet Another Narrow Escape

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back!_

_Yami: Not again. Please, dear Ra, not again._

_Hikaru: (Summons a dark energy ball) Yami........_

_Yami: (The third eye appears on his forehead)_

_Hikaru: (Smirks) Please, Pharaoh, you think you can take me on?_

_Witty: (Watches them) Umm, we don't own YGO but anything original is ours. (Heads off to join the stand-off between Hikaru and Yami)_

_Chapter 5: Yet Another Narrow Escape_

Hikaru glanced over her shoulder and noticed Weevil and Rex following them. She glanced at Witty for a moment, then stopped. She turned around, her eyes narrowing slightly when Rex and Weevil very nearly ran into her.

"Why are you two following us? Scram," Hikaru snapped.

Weevil and Rex looked at her as if they were hesitant to leave, but more still to do anything that would make the girl mad. They looked at each other, then both noticed the way Hikaru's mismatched eyes seemed to glow with an unnatural aura and took off. She snickered when they were gone, glancing over at Witty again.

"It's just way too easy sometimes," she laughed.

Witty shook her head in amusement. "Do you think you should have chased them off so soon?" she asked.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, we don't need them. I think I know where to start looking for Yugi, anyway, if what the old man said was true"

"What did he say, anyway?"

Hikaru sighed. "Seems there's been some really weird stuff going on and they left for San Fransico yesterday"

"So how do we get there?" Witty asked.

"I think I might be able to teleport us there. Come on, let's go back to where we left the motorcycles," Hikaru said and started walking again with Witty following next to her.

As they passed by an alleyway, Hikaru suddenly stopped dead in her tracks, her entire body tensing like a coiled spring. Her mismatched eyes went slightly wide and started glowing with that same unnatural aura, almost as if she sensed something nearby. Witty kept walking, lost in her thoughts, not noticing the fact that her friend was no longer with her. Hikaru moved cautiously into the alleyway, glancing around to make sure no one was lurking in the shadows. She was about to leave when she felt someone grab her roughly from behind. She squeaked in fear and looked over her shoulder, then screamed when she realized that it was Raphael who had grabbed her.

"WITTY! HELP!" Hikaru screamed.

He clamped his hand over her mouth to stiffle the frightened girl's desperate cry for help, but it was too late. Witty had heard the scream and raced back to where the shout had come from. She stopped when she saw her friend struggling wildly in Raphael's grip, and took her dagger from where she kept it hidden inside her vest. Raphael only smirked, tightening his grip on Hikaru painfully. She let out a muffled cry, frightened tears starting to slide down her face. Raphael had pinned her arms behind her back and was using the power from his Oricalchos crystal to keep her from using her magic on him again.

"Let go of her!" Witty demanded, her eyes narrowing. "Now."

"I don't think so. Alastair! Grab the other one and let's go!"

Witty turned and dodged out of the way of the woman-look-alike and brought her dagger up, slashing him on the arm as she moved away from him. Hikaru watched, wide-eyed. She struggled against Raphael's grip on her, but went totally still, her eyes filled with terror when she felt the cold blade of a dagger touch her neck warningly, causing him to move the hand that had been previously clamped over her mouth. She whimpered softly, shutting her eyes tightly.  
_  
Why are they doing this?!_ she thought to herself desperately.

Witty noticed her friend's position and rushed over, knocking the blade out of Raphael's hand with her own and pulling her friend away from him. Hikaru ducked behind Witty, trembling, as the two so-called palace guards advanced on them. Witty held her dagger out in front of her in a defensive position, slowly backing away with Hikaru still behind her. Witty cursed to herself when the two found themselves backed up against the brick wall of the alleyway with nowhere left to run.  
_  
**Hikaru!  
**_  
Hikaru gasped, looking around, trying to figure out where the voice had come from, but saw no one else enter the alleyway. She glanced at Witty, thinking it might have been the other girl who had somehow called out to her, but Witty's attention was on the two who were advancing on them.  
_  
**Hikaru!**_ came the strange voice again.  
_  
/H-hello?/_ she called out tentatively.  
_  
**Thank Ra you heard. Hikaru, use your powers to summon us and we'll shield your escape!**_ came a second voice.

_/B-but who are you?/_  
_  
**You know us, Hikaru. We've always been with you, protecting you**,_ the first voice replied.  
_  
/Protecting me? Wait! Change of Heart?! Dark Magician Girl?!/_  
_  
**Yes, Hikaru**,_ came the second voice.  
_  
**You must summon us now!**_ the first voice said.  
_  
/O-okay, I'll give it a shot./_

With that she pulled her deck from the pouch that hung at her side and held up her Change of Heart and Dark Magician Girl cards. "Spirit creatures with whom I have a pact, reveal your true forms! Reveal your true forms, my emissaries, and answer my summons! Come forth from the Dominion of the Beasts and protect us!" she chanted.

A moment later, there was a bright flash of white light that nearly blinded them, and made Raphael and Alastair stumble backwards. When the light was gone, Hikaru and Witty saw the two Duel Monsters standing in front of them. Dark Magician Girl held her staff out in front of her in much the same way Witty had been holding her dagger. Change of Heart held her hands out, a bright energy ball forming and illuminating her half-light, half-dark face and casting eerie shadows all around them.

"What the....?!" Alastair started.

Before he could finish what he was saying, both Duel Monsters launched an attack, knocking both Raphael and Alastair backwards and stunning them. Dark Magician Girl turned to Hikaru and Witty.

"Run, now! We'll shield your escape!" she said.

Hikaru nodded and she and Witty took off, slipping easily past Raphael and Alastair. They kept running until they got to where they had left the motorcycles, and it was only then that they stopped to look behind them, making sure that they had not been followed. Luckily no one was behind them, and Witty removed her concealment spell. Hikaru used her magic to hotwire the motorcycles again and they took off.

Witty drove up along side Hikaru and looked at her. "You all right?" she asked.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, just a little shaken up, that's all"

"Why are they after us?" Witty asked, wanting answers.

"I have no idea. They came after me last night, too. I saw them in the hallway when I was heading back to my room, and for some reason they just came after me, I don't know why," she replied. _But how they were able to find us this quickly, I don't know. I'm sorry, Witty, I can't tell you just yet. There's too much going on that we don't know about._

_To Be Continued. Well, here's part five of this. Hope you enjoy this. Please R&R, my friend and I have put a lot into this, and I'm kind of taking a chance with putting it up here after last time when one of my other fics got taken down after being unnecessarily attacked. And if people are avoiding me because of the almost-flame-war between me and the one who flamed my "Of Dragons And Dogs" fic, then please don't, because surely you understand where I was coming from when I retaliated. And if you are avoiding me, then at least don't take it out on my friend who's collaborating with me on this fic. Meh, maybe I'm paranoid. Anyway, I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can, but that might not be until sometime later this week. Well, ja ne, minna-san._

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	6. Stalked By The Darkness

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back with more of this!!!!!_

_Yami: Dear Ra, not again._

_Witty: Yami, shut up._

_Hikaru: Yeah, before Witty and I decide to play a little game of keep-away with that puzzle of yours._

_Yami: You wouldn't dare._

_Hikaru: You really want to find that out, Pharaoh? The last one who was stupid enough to say that to me got a little.....make-over. (Gestures to Raphael, who looks very much like a male-version of Mimi from the Drew Carey show)_

_Yami: (Scowls, but shuts up)_

_Hikaru: (Chibi smile) Witty, would you be so kind?_

_Witty: We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours!_

_Hikaru: Arigatou, Witty-chan! And now, on with the fic!!_  
-----------------------------------------------

_Chapter 6: Stalked By The Darkness_

Witty watched her friend as she rode alongside her. "Okay," she said. "Forget about them for now. But what the hex happened when you pulled those cards?!"

Hikaru glanced at her as they made a right turn down the avenue. A grin spilled across her face. "Magic," she said and shook her head. "Just magic."

Witty chuckled, the kind of chuckle she inherited from her master. "Magic," she echoed. She shrugged. "Well, that was awesome magic, wherever it came from."

Hikaru nodded.

As they turned down a side alleyway , Witty glanced behind them to make sure they were still safe. Then, something like a cape swept behind a corner behind them. _A purple cape?_ Witty thought. _What the...?_

Hikaru noticed her friend's worried glances and she followed the other's looks. "What is it?"

Witty frowned and looked ahead. "I don't know," she said. She suddenly reared her motorcycle in a 360 circle that left scorched black tire marks on the street.

Hikaru slowed to a stop and turned in her seat. "Witty! We have to keep going!"

Witty touched the rim of her hat, a nervous habit she picked up from her master. "Hold on a second..." She slowly dismounted her bike, and then crept over toward the corner. She peeked behind the corner and saw only a dead end brick wall with a black ray of shadow to one side and a broad ray of sunlight on the other. She peered into the dark side and something gold briefly sparkled from the sunny side of the wall. She gasped and backed up. Before she could steal a peek at anything else, Hikaru pulled at her arm.

"Come on," she said.

Witty finally followed her friend back to the bikes and in moments, they rode down the alleyway, and back onto the streets of Domino.

Hikaru glanced at Witty. "What was that about?"

Witty did not answer at first. She just shook her head. "I don't know," she said. "We should watch our backs more closely," she warned her friend. "We can't afford to have too many palace guards on our tails." She glanced down at Hikaru's pouch. "Keep those cards safe," she said.

Hikaru nodded. "I will," she promised.

As the two girls rode away, the figure who had been lurking in the alleyway stepped out of the shadows, watching them go with a smirk on his face. His blonde hair stuck up at wild angles, and his piercing violet eyes would make even those with the bravest of hearts run away screaming with just one soul-piercing stare. He wore black leather pants and a sleeveless black shirt. A dark purple cloak billowed out behind him dramatically, looking for all the world like dark wings of some sort. He held a short, gold, scepter-like staff in his hand. The top of it was round, though, with a sharp, wing-looking thing on both sides, and the Egyptian Eye of Ra was in the center of it.

"Are those two girls the ones you want me to capture?" he asked in a deep, gravel-like voice to another figure lurking in the shadows behind him, a voice that could send a shiver down even Dartz's spine.

The other stepped into the light and nodded, a smirk on his face as well. "Yes, they're the ones"

The blonde, Marik, as he was known, nodded and unsheathed the dagger that was concealed inside the Millennium Rod. The sunlight shimmered off the blade and he watched it for a moment, before sheathing it again and putting the Rod in his back pocket where he usually kept it. Then he turned to the other and his eyes narrowed slightly.

"What's in it for me?" he asked.

The other shrugged. "Whatever you want, I don't care"

Marik smirked more, his eyes taking on even more of a light of insanity and nodded. "Fine, I'll capture them"

The other, Raphael, nodded. "Good. Bring them to the old wherehouse on Domino pier. And I want them alive. I have plans for them"

"As you wish," Marik said smoothly and bowed, seemingly vanishing into the shadows again.

Meanwhile, the two girls rode on in silence. Hikaru, having become slightly edgy by the silence, turned her attention to the gadgets that she had asked Varon to install when Dartz and Shaadi had first surprised her with the motorcycle on her birthday two years ago. Finally finding what she was looking for, she toyed with the radio until she found a station that wasn't playing constant commercials and started to calm down.

She had been a little nervous ever since the incident in the alleyway, and the fact that Witty had noticed that someone seemed to be following them made her even more on edge. She sighed to herself as a song that she had never heard before came on and her hand unconsciously went down to rest on the pouch where she kept her deck for just a brief second. Then she looked up at the sky, the slight smile on her face concealed by the helmet she wore.

_Thank you, my spirit guardians._

She could have sworn she had heard a soft answer in her mind, but she shook it off when she realized that Witty was speaking to her. She looked over at the other girl curiously.

"Hikaru, how far are we going?" Witty asked.

Hikaru shrugged. "I'm thinking we can probably make it into Kyoto or Tokyo by tonight. If we're being followed, I don't think it's a good idea to continue after nightfall. And besides, we need to find somewhere that's fairly deserted, I don't want to chance using too much of my magic where there's a lot of people around," she answered.

"What do you mean?" Witty asked.

"Yugi and the others are in San Francisco. I think I might be able to teleport us there, but I don't want to risk anyone seeing anything," she replied.

Witty nodded. "Good point"

She trailed off as a cloaked figure suddenly stepped out in front of them. Witty and Hikaru both screeched to a halt to avoid running him over. Hikaru removed her helmet, shaking her head for a second to let her hair flow loose behind her and glared at the stranger, her eyes glowing with the same unnatural aura as before. The other didn't even seem to notice, and if he did, he was completely unphased by it.

"Hey, didn't anyone ever teach you not to step out in front of a moving vehicle?" she demanded, her tone cold.

The other didn't speak. Instead a smirk crossed his face as he made an odd gesture. Hikaru narrowed her eyes as she watched him, and a thought struck her. Could this be the one who was following them?! Suddenly she was snapped out of her thoughts by the sound of a startled scream beside her. She turned and saw someone who could very easily pass as a twin to the guy who had stepped in front of them holding a struggling Witty. Hikaru got off her own motorcycle and headed towards them, but the other was faster and he grabbed her from behind. She screamed and started twisting and thrashing desperately in his arms, but fell still when she once again felt the cold steel of a blade lightly touch her neck. Her eyes went wide, but still they seemed to glow with that strange light.

"Who are you?! What do you want with us?!" Hikaru demanded.

The one who held her chuckled darkly, sending a frightened shiver down her spine, but she concealed it well. There was no way she was going to give whoever these people were the satisfaction of seeing her fear. She glanced over at Witty, who had also stopped struggling and was glaring at their captors. Hikaru tried to summon an energy ball, but the one who held her tightened his grip on her painfully, bringing the blade just a little closer to her throat.

"Don't even try it, little one. I know all about your magic." Here he turned to Witty. "And I wouldn't suggest you try anything either, because if you do, I won't hesitate to kill the princess, and I don't think you want to see your friend die," he said in that same chillingly calm voice, his violet eyes gleaming with pure insanity.

Hikaru gasped in shock. How did these two know who she really was?! She looked over at Witty with wide eyes. The other girl glanced at her, then glared at the one who held Hikaru. "What do you want?!" Witty hissed.

"That is none of your business. You'll see soon enough," he said cryptically. Then he started to mutter a spell in ancient Egyptian, and moments later, both girls had fallen unconscious. Marik turned to his twin and smirked. "Come on, let's go"

"Right behind you," the other, Malik, said, and with that they took off with their two captives towards Domino pier.  
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_To Be Continued. I know it's taken me a while to get this up, but now that the holidays are over for the most part, I should be able to update at least something. I have the next chapter, so I'll put that one up here tonight as well. Please R&R, and no flames. I mean it, because this is also my friend's story, so I'll really be mad if someone flames this. If you have something CONSTRUCTIVE to say, then fine. But if you have nothing more to say than "this sucks!" or something like that, don't bother, because neither one of us needs that. Well, anyway, I'm gonna go so I can get the next chapter of this up too. I know it'll be past Christmas by the time this shows up, but I'm gonna say it anyway. Merry Christmas minna-san! (Or whatever you celebrate. ) Ja ne, all!!_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	7. Captured

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: Here's the next part! And things are beginning to heat up._

_Yami: Dear Ra, what are you two plotting now?_

_Witty: You'll just have to see, Yami. (Smirk)_

_Hikaru: (Snickers) You know something, Witty, you do look a lot like your namesake when you do that._

_Yami: (Walks off, muttering darkly under his breath)_

_Hikaru: (Sticks her tongue out at him a bit childishly as he storms off) Hmph, who pissed in his wheaties this morning? (Gets a weird look from Witty and shrugs) What? I heard that somewhere, and thought it was funny._

_Witty: (Nods) It is. (Snicker)_

_Hikaru: Would you be so kind, Witty?_

_Witty: We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours._

_Hikaru: Arigatou, Witty-chan! And now, on with the fic!_  
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_Chapter 7: Captured_

Hours later, Hikaru started to come back to consciousness. She moaned softly and her eyes fluttered open. She focused her gaze with slight difficulty and looked around, trying to take in her surroundings, but wherever she was, it was too dark for her to really be able to see much of anything. She tried to move, but found that she couldn't. Her eyes widened when she realized that her wrists were bound to the wall above her head by shackles or some other kind of bindings. She struggled wildly, but the cold metal didn't give way, only dug into her pale wrists and made them bleed a little. She cursed softly to herself and fell still again.

"Witty? Witty, are you here?" Hikaru called into the darkness, but got no reply.

She swore again, realizing her friend quite obviously wasn't in the same room, and hoped desperately beyond hope that the other girl was all right.

_Maybe she was able to escape..._

The thought left her, though, when she realized how unlikely it was. Whoever had kidnapped her had used whatever that spell was to knock Witty out, too.

Just then she heard a door open, and sunlight flooded into her darkened prison. The bright light hurt her eyes and she closed them for a moment, then opened them again, slowly letting them adjust to the light. She looked up when she heard footsteps approaching, and her mismatched eyes narrowed when she saw that it was the same one from before. She shrank back against the wall, though, when he took the Millennium Rod from his pocket and removed the dagger from it. He placed the tip of the blade beneath her chin, using it to tilt her face upwards until her eyes met his. She wanted to move away from it, but she realized that he would most likely just use the thing to kill her if she made any sudden movements.

"I see you're awake, my dear," he said, that same chilling tone in his voice from before.

"Who are you?! What do you want?! And what have you done with Witty?!"

The other smirked at her, completely ignoring her first two questions. "You mean that friend of yours? She's alive, for now, but whether or not she remains that way depends on you," he said darkly.

Hikaru narrowed her eyes, glaring down at the dagger he held at her throat, then back up at him and cursed at him in her native tongue. Then she flinched back as he moved the blade just a little closer, not quite drawing blood yet, but near enough to make her nervous.

"I'd watch what I say if I were you, my dear. The one who hired me needs you alive, but that friend of yours is another story entirely"

_So someone hired him to capture us?! That explains a lot...._ She glared at him. "Leave Witty alone! You touch even so much as one hair on her head and I swear by the Great Leviathan, I'll unleash all the powers of the underworld on you"

Her captor drew the blade away from her and slapped her harshly across the face. The blow stunned Hikaru, who had not even seen it coming. She kept her head turned to the side for a moment, then looked back up at the other, a dark bruise forming on her pale, delicate cheek, the dark marking a stark contrast to her almost ghostly complexion. Then she gasped when she saw that he was holding up the Oricalchos Crystal that had been around her neck.

"Not without this, you won't," he said, smirking in a way that made her extremely uncomfortable.

"Give that back!" she hissed.

He shook his head. "I don't think so."

He dropped it into his pocket and sheathed his dagger back in the Millennium Rod. Then he held it in front of her face, and the Eye of Ra symbol started to glow brightly. She tried to turn away, but found herself unable to avert her gaze. Horror flooded over her, but then it seemed as if she was under some kind of spell. She watched from inside herself as the stranger unlocked the bindings on her wrists and pulled her roughly to her feet. Then he led her out of the room and onto what seemed to be a pier over-looking the ocean. She tried to regain control over her body, but whatever magic he had used was far stronger than her own, and she was powerless to break free from it.

_What is he planning?!_ she thought, horrified, but it didn't show on her face. Her eyes that were once so full of life now seemed almost soul-less, really. She shuddered, or so it seemed, when her captor chuckled darkly as they stopped on the pier.

"You're so quiet, my dear. It's almost as though you don't have a mind of your own," he remarked. "Just be patient, you'll see soon enough what is in store for you. We have only to wait for your friend to get here."

_No, Witty!_ she cried out in her mind. She tried to speak, but strangely enough, her voice was gone.

Witty slowly opened her eyes. _What just happened?_ She looked around and saw someone standing over her.

"Time to go," that someone said. When Witty saw him walk into the light, she saw he had light blonde hair trailing down his shoulders. He knelt and grasped her wrists.

"Let me go!" Witty struggled, but to no avail as the other reached behind her and drew her dagger.

He pressed the blade to her throat. "Don't try anything, girl, or your friend will suffer for your mistakes."

_Hikaru!_ "What have you done with her?" Witty glared darkly into the other's violet eyes.

"She is safe...for now, at least. Now move it." He pressed the small of her back with his other hand and led her out of the dark room.

They walked out into sunlight and Witty winced as the sun's rays seeped under the rim of her hat. She looked around and saw the Domino Pier to the side of her. Once she and the other stopped, Witty spun around, slapped the dagger out of her captor's hand, and caught it in mid-air. The other lunged at her and they both fell back to the ground. Her hat flipped off her head and she rolled over onto the other. She stole her dagger back and raised it into the air by her shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that, my friend."

Witty's ears perked up and she looked up and across the dock. "Hikaru!"

Hikaru stood there with a duel disk latched onto her arm. Her eyes glowed an unfamiliar light to her friend. "Let him go!" She called.

Witty frowned, puzzled. "What do you mean, let him go--?"

Her captor suddenly reached up and grasped her wrists. Before she could object in any way, he stole the dagger from her fingers and then rolled her over again. He jumped up on his heels and then yanked her up from the ground. He reached behind and revealed a duel disk that was clipped to his belt. He latched the disk onto her arm and turned her to face Hikaru. "Duel," he said. "Or she dies."

Witty glared over her shoulder. She swiped her hat from the ground and plopped it back onto her head. She took her deck out from her pocket and slipped it into the slot for the sake of her friend. She addressed the one who stood behind her: "You'll pay for this," she said darkly.

The numbers on her disk flipped to 4000. She called back to Hikaru. "We can run for it, Hikaru!"

Hikaru smirked and called back to her: "Hikaru won't run while she's under my spell," she said. Her voice was strangely dark, as if someone were speaking behind her.

_Like a puppet,_ Witty thought and shuddered. _Magic._

Hikaru's hand drew five cards from her deck.

Witty looked around in search for the source of the puppet master.

Under the pier, sitting in a quiet hidden row boat, Raphael and Alistair watched and waited.

Witty sighed when she found naught but her captor who stood behind her, keeping her at bay, and Hikaru standing across from her. "Very well," she called to whoever controlled Hikaru. "I'll fight if it means saving my friend! I'll break your spell somehow!!"

Hikaru laughed at her and Witty drew her five cards.  
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_To Be Continued. Like I said, things are really beginning to heat up now. Next chapter the two companions are forced to face off against each other in a heart-wrenching twist of fate, thanks to a certain blonde-haired, violet-eyed yami/hikari duo. Will Witty be able to free Hikaru's mind from Marik's control, or will their lives be shattered and their friendship destroyed? You'll have to wait until next time to find out. I'll try to have the duel up as soon as I can, but I'm waiting for my friend to send me her part, so yeah. But I promise, it will definitely be worth the wait. Well, it's late, and I'm about to fall asleep here, so I'm gonna go now. Ja ne, minna-san!_

_Hikaru Shinatrou, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	8. A Bitter Duel

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back with another chapter!_

_Yami: Now what are you two scheming?_

_Hikaru: Your downfall if you don't quit it._

_Yami: (Glare)_

_Witty: (Snatches the M. Puzzle from his neck) Hikaru! Catch!_

_Hikaru: (Catches it) Haha! Keep away!_

_Yami: GIVE THAT BACK!_

_Witty: Nope!_

_Hikaru: (Throws the Puzzle to Witty) We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours! And now, on with the fic! _

_-------------------------------------------_

_Chapter 8: A Bitter Duel_

Hikaru smirked as she looked at her friend, drew a card, then looked down at the cards in her hand. "I'll start things off," she said in that dark, eerie voice that wasn't her own. She pulled two cards from her hand and put them on her duel disk in their respective spots. "I summon Fire Princess in attack mode and I'll put one card face down to end my turn!"

"Hikaru, snap out of it!" No response. Witty drew a card and added it to her hand. "Fine, I'll put one card in defense mode and two cards face down. Your turn." _There's got to be someway to get her to break free from that spell! Maybe it's somewhere in my deck. Now I just have to find it before this gets even more out of hand than it already has._

Hikaru drew another card from her deck. "I'll just play this magic card: Goblin Thief! It inflicts 500 points of damage to your life points and adds 500 to mine. Plus I'll activate my Fire Princess' special ability. She'll inflict 500 more points of damage to your life points, then I'll sacrifice her to summon an even more powerful monster! Come forth, Dark Magician Girl!" The Dark Magician Girl appeared on the field in place of Hikaru's Fire Princess. "Attack her face-down monster with your Dark Burning Attack!" Hikaru commanded.

Witty's eyes went a little wide as her face-down Ancient Elf was destroyed and sent to the graveyard. "Hikaru, you have to stop this madness! Whoever is behind this has you under a spell! They're trying to control your mind!"

Hikaru chuckled darkly. "Hikaru? Hikaru is no longer here. Your friend is gone."

"I won't believe that. Whoever you are, let go of your hold on her mind! Show yourself, you coward son of a dark necrofereiass!" Witty shouted.

Hikaru laughed, but it wasn't her normal laugh. This was dark and full of insanity. "Insult me all you like, foolish girl. You'll never free your friend. She belongs to me now!"

"Not likely! Hikaru, listen to me! You have to remember! It's me, Witty!"

_Witty, I'm sorry. I can't break the spell. I'm trying......I don't want to hurt you._

_/Silence, girl!/_

"Hikaru! You have to remember! You promised to help me find my Master's killer! You hid me from the palace guards when we first met!" She got no response from her friend and growled softly, drawing a card from her deck and placing it face down on the field. _I've got to find a way to send her Dark Magician Girl to the graveyard, and figure out a way to bring her back to her senses. There has to be a way, but if I don't find it soon, one or both of us going to be in deep trouble._ "I'll place one more card face down and then I'll activate Just Desserts!" _Forgive me, Hikaru._ "And to finish off my turn, I'll place one card in defense mode."

Hikaru yelped as the attack from her friend's trap card hit, then her eyes narrowed as she drew a card from her deck. "I'll activate my face-down card! Reveal Sage's Stone! This magic card lets me summon my Dark Magician from either my hand or my deck as long as I have a face-up Dark Magician Girl on my side of the field. And I just so happen to have one in my---" she trailed off, her eyes glazing over for a moment.

_No! I won't hurt my friend!_

_/You have no say in the matter! Now do it! Play that card, now, and use it to attack her life points directly!/_

"Hikaru...?" Witty said quietly, looking at her friend in confusion. _Is she starting to come out of it?_

"I told you, Hikaru is no longer here! I control her mind now! Now, to finish what I started, I'll use my Sage's Stone magic card to summon my Dark Magician to the field! Dark Magician, destroy her face-down monster! Use your Dark Magic attack!" Dark Magician easily destroyed Witty's face-down monster, which turned out to be Mask of Darkness. "I'll add the magic card Yami to increase both of my spellcasters' attack and defense points by 200, then I'll end my turn."

_Why didn't she attack me directly with her Dark Magician Girl?_ "By destroying my Mask of Darkness, you've activated its effect, which lets me bring back one trap card from my graveyard, and since the only one I have in there is Just Desserts, I'll take it. Then I'll use it to attack your life points directly, bringing yours down to 3500!" She drew a card and added it to her hand. "And then I'll put a card in defense mode and end my turn."

"Hm, a loss that hardly even phases me." She drew a card and for a moment her eyes went wide when she saw what it was, and it seemed as though her hands started to shake.

_No! The Seal of Oricalchos! I can't use this against her!_

_/Obey me and play that card to destroy your friend!/_

_No! I can't! I won't take Witty's soul!_

_/Do it now!/_

"No! I won't!"

"Hikaru!" Witty called.

Hikaru didn't answer. She slipped the card into her hand and turned back to Witty. "I'll place one card face-down. Dark Magician, take out her face-down monster, and Dark Magician Girl, attack her life points directly!"

Witty yelped as the attack hit and her Sangan was destroyed. She looked down at her duel disk, alarmed when she saw that her life points had gone down to 800 now from the direct attack. "You've activated my Sangan's special ability, which lets me take one card from my deck with an attack of 1500 or less and add it to my hand." She pulled her deck from the slot on the duel disk and started flipping through it until one in particular caught her eye, and a grin crossed her face. _This is perfect! This should do the trick. If this doesn't work, I have nothing else in my deck that will. Well, here goes nothing. Please, let this work._ "I'll play the magic card Dian Keto the Cure Master to raise my lifepoints by 1,000!"

Hikaru shrugged. "That will do you no good," Hikaru said coldly.

She pulled a card from her hand, and Witty noticed the way her friend's two-tone eyes seemed to cloud over with horror and the way her hand started to shake again, and just before she placed the card on her duel disk, Witty's voice stopped her.

"Not so fast, Hikaru. My turn hasn't ended yet. I'll play one more card, one that will knock you back to your senses! I play Witty Phantom, in attack mode!"

_That.....that's the card I gave her!_

Hikaru gasped as the Witty Phantom appeared on the field, images flashing in her mind like a flood. She dropped the card in her hand and it fell in slow motion to the dock, revealing itself to be the Seal of Oricalchos. Hikaru's eyes started to go back to normal for just a brief second, and she fell to her knees, clutching her head as if someone had struck her. She let out a blood curdling scream that startled Witty.

"NO! GET OUT OF MY HEAD! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hikaru shrieked.

"That's it, Hikaru! Fight it! Break free from his control!" Witty called out.

Hikaru fell forward slightly, her hands flat beneath her to brace herself, and she looked up at her friend, her eyes pleading. "Witty......help me....." she started, then screamed again as whoever was controlling her brought her back under his spell again.

_/Get up and finish her off, now!/_

_No! I won't! I won't hurt her! Get out of my head! Leave me alone!_

Witty watched her friend in horror. Hikaru finally staggered to her feet and her voice growled, "End your turn so I can finish you!"

Witty slapped one more card face down. "I place one card face down and end my turn!" Hikaru looked down at her hand and then at the ground.

_/Pick up that card!/ _The voice commanded her.

_NO!_ Hikaru fought to stand. "No," she said in her own voice. "I can't—I won't!"

_/Pick it up and play it!/_

Hikaru shook her head. She quickly drew a card and then cried out, "I end my turn!"

_/Foolish girl! You shall pay for that!/_

"That's it, Hikaru! Keep fighting!" She drew another card and then activated a magic card. "I play Change of Heart on your Dark Magician Girl!" Hikaru watched with a heavy heart as Dark Magician Girl flew to the side of the Witty Phantom.

Witty closed her eyes. "Please forgive me," she whispered. "Now," she called louder, "I sacrifice Dark Magician Girl in order to summon Teva to the field!" A warrior appeared on the field in place of Dark Magician Girl. He was dressed in flowing scarves and Asian clothing, perhaps what a mythical genie would wear. His white hair flowed down his shoulders.

"When he's Tribute Summoned successfully, you cannot declare an attack during your next turn!" Witty nodded. "I end my turn for now."

Hikaru looked at the field. She saw Witty Phantom on one side, and Teva on the other. Witty still had one card face down. _I cannot attack for now, _she thought in a different voice._ Not this turn, anyway._ She drew a card and then looked down at her hand. She placed one card face down on the field. "I play one card face down and I'll end my turn!"

Witty drew a card and added it to her hand. She glanced down at her face down card. She looked up at her monsters and her eyes fixed upon the Witty Phantom.

The monster hologram, as if by magic, looked over his shoulder, tipped his hat, and then winked at her.

Witty frowned in question. She looked down at her hand and gasped when she saw Monster Reborn. Please work, she thought as she placed it face down. "I place one card face down. And now…" She bit her lip.

Hikaru glared at her. "Hurry up, fool."

Witty clenched her fists. "And now I…I end my turn."

Hikaru thought in her own voice, _She didn't attack......why?_  
Hikaru drew a card and added it to her hand. "And now I attack your Teva with my Dark Magician! Attack with dark magic!"

Witty flipped her trap card face-up. "Not so fast! I play Sakuretsu Armor!" Hikaru gasped as Dark Magician flew toward her and pointed his tall emerald staff at her. Suddenly, a monstrous beast with dark armor sprang up in front of Witty, and destroyed the Dark Magician!

Once the field was clear, Witty nodded. "I could only activate Sakuretsu Armor when you declared an attack. And now your magician is gone!"

Hikaru growled as her turn ended. "My turn may be over, but I'm far from done with you _and_ your friend!"

Witty drew a card and then flipped her magic card. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back Dark Magician Girl to the field! And because there's a Dark Magician in the graveyard, she receives 300 extra attack points!"

Dark Magician Girl sprang up on Witty's side of the field and winked at Hikaru.

"Hikaru," Witty called. "You've got to remember your favorite card—your spirit guardians! They saved our butts from Raphael and Alistair!" She called out to whoever controlled her friend: "You can't hold her forever—she'll break free of you!"

Hikaru stared at her Dark Magician Girl. _Spirit guardians…_

The voice growled. /_You have no guardians, girl! You're alone, and you're mine now!/_

_No....never yours,_ Hikaru protested, becoming desperate to break free from Marik's spell. _I.....I don't belong to anyone. I won't hurt my friend!_

_/You are mine! I own you! You have no mind of your own! Say it/_

_No. I won't.....Witty, stop me, I'm going to hurt you if you don't.....I can't break his spell._

Witty watched as Hikaru fell to her knees once again. She wanted to go to her, but unfortunately for Witty, her captor still stood behind her, keeping her at bay. She cast a quick glance over at the hologram of the Witty Phantom, then turned back to Hikaru.

"Keep fighting! You have to break the spell, Hikaru! You have to remember!" she called out.

Hikaru looked up at Witty when she heard the other girl call out to her, and for just a brief second, it seemed as though her eyes were back to normal. But then Marik strengthened his hold on her again and she let out another heart-wrenching scream. She didn't move, though, instead staying where she was, trembling wildly. A few stray tears slipped down her face, though it was concealed behind the veil of her sky-colored hair that had draped down over her face when she had fallen to her knees.

"Please.......leave me alone....." she whimpered softly, her voice a barely audible whisper that was meant for no one except her captor to hear.

Witty winced inwardly, having heard it anyway, and her heart broke at the almost broken, defeated tone in her friend's voice. _I have to find a way to end this now before either one of us ends up getting hurt.....but how? She seemed to snap out of it for a moment when I played Witty Phantom and brought back her Dark Magician Girl, but it doesn't seem to be enough to break the spell completely. _She glanced towards Raphael and Alastair, who had been watching the entire duel, and her eyes darkened, anger clearly evident in them. But she turned her attention back to Hikaru when she heard her friend let out another scream.

"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" Hikaru shouted.

"Hikaru! Fight it!" Witty called to her.

_/Stop struggling! You'll never free yourself, girl! Now pick up that card and destroy your friend!/_

_No....I won't do it. My spirit guardians.....I....I remember. Please, give me the strength to break his hold on me!_

_/You have no guardians!/_

_Stop it! I'm not a puppet to be controlled.....!_

She struggled against him, giving it all she had to break free of Marik's hold on her mind. She felt his grip weakening, and hope surged through her. She fought with her whole spirit, and with a final cry of defiance, broke free from his spell at last, banishing the puppet master from her mind completely. Still on her knees, she looked up at Witty, her mismatched eyes back to normal again.

"Witty.....I did it.....I broke free from him...." she said softly.

Witty grinned. "I knew you would! Come on, we can run for it!"

Hikaru smiled tiredly up at her friend and started to stagger to her feet. But a cloaked figure stepped out of the shadows behind her, a dagger gleaming in his hand as he approached the girl. Witty tried to warn her friend, but the one behind her grabbed her and clamped a hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. The one behind Hikaru raised the dagger into the air and brought it down on her. The girl screamed as the blade pierced her shoulder and she fell to her knees again, blood staining the fabric of the white dress she wore. She put her hand over the wound, tears sliding down her face from the pain.

"Hikaru!" Witty cried out in horror as she saw her friend fall.

Witty finally broke free from her captor's grip on her and ran to her friend, kneeling down beside her. "Are you all right?"

Hikaru nodded weakly. Witty tore some fabric from the bottom of her shirt and wrapped it around Hikaru's wound as a make-shift bandage, then turned to Marik, her eyes flashing dangerously.

"You bastard!" Witty screamed, lunging at Marik with her own dagger.

Marik dodged out of the way, backing up a little, trying to lure Witty away from Hikaru, who at this point was close to collapsing from the wound. Witty hissed, then spotted a strange crystal around his neck, recognizing it as Hikaru's. Witty attacked him again, this time catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground. She snatched the crystal, pulling it loose easily, and then held the tip of her dagger to Marik's throat after knocking his away.

"You move and I swear I'll kill you," she growled.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," came a voice behind her. Witty glanced over her shoulder, staring in horror when she saw the other blonde holding a struggling Hikaru against him tightly, Marik's discarded dagger in his hand and being held against Hikaru's neck threateningly. "Back off of him, or your friend here dies!"

"Witty....." Hikaru said softly, then yelped when Malik tightened his grip on her painfully, bringing the blade just a little closer to her neck.

"Shut up, girl," he snapped, glaring down at her. Then he turned his gaze back to Witty, a smirk crossing his tanned face. "So what will it be? You know I have the means to back up my threat, and I won't hesitate to kill her unless you do as I say," Malik said, his voice deadly quiet.

"Let her go!" Witty yelled, getting off of Marik very reluctantly, keeping a wary eye on him as she did so.

"Drop the dagger."

Witty hesitated, looking at both blondes as if gauging them and her chances of getting both herself and Hikaru out of this mess alive. _There's got to be a way. Maybe if I use just the right spell to catch these two idiots off guard, then I can get Hikaru away from him and we can get out of here._ She looked down at the crystal in her hand. _This thing seems to have magic, maybe it can heal Hikaru's wound. I think I saw our motorcycles parked by the pier somewhere when I was dragged out here._

But before she could make another move, the Dark Magician Girl, who still lingered on the other side of the pier, seemed to become far more real than she had been just moments before and intervened. There was a bright blast of magic, blinding the two blondes, and Witty took the opening granted to her. Malik had stumbled back from Hikaru, letting the girl fall to the ground. Witty ran over to her, helping her to her feet and the two girls raced towards their motorcycles. Witty used a hotwiring spell of her own and they drove off, Witty keeping a close eye on her friend.

They finally stopped when they were far enough away, and not a moment too soon. Witty got off her motorcycle and let Hikaru lean on her for support as they wandered into an alleyway. She lowered Hikaru to the ground, kneeling beside her friend and looking at her in concern. The other girl was half-unconscious by now, as everything had finally started to take its toll on her, and it seemed as though too much had been taken from her.

"Hikaru? Come on, you have to stay with me, okay?" Witty said. It was then that she remembered the crystal that she had taken from Marik was still clasped in her hand. She looked down at it, then fastened it around her friend's neck. "I really hope this works....." _This thing almost seems to be the source of Hikaru's power, so maybe......_

A moment later, Witty started chanting a spell in a language she didn't recall ever having heard before. The crystal started to glow brightly with an intense, radiant green light. It surrounded Hikaru, enveloping her in its light and lifting her from the ground, actually seeming to crawl over her, healing her. Witty watched, wide-eyed. The glow finally faded, though, and Hikaru was lowered to the ground again. Her mismatched eyes opened a minute or two later and she sat up, looking over at Witty, confusion clouding her gaze.

"Wha....what just happened?" Hikaru asked, shaking her head to clear it.

Witty looked at her. _She doesn't remember?_ "Don't you remember, Hikaru?" she asked.

Hikaru shook her head again. "No, all I remember is waking up in a strange room, and then it was like I was caught in a dream or something......I don't know, it's just really fuzzy to me right now."

"That psycho back there took over your mind, and forced us to duel each other. You finally broke his spell and he attacked you......" Here she gestured at the make-shift bandage on Hikaru's arm that was still stained with dried blood, and the other girl paled slightly.

"Raphael and Alastair.....they're the ones behind this......" Hikaru muttered.

Witty nodded. "Yes, but why?"

Hikaru just shrugged, using the wall behind her for support as she stood up, albeit a bit shakily. "I don't know, but I wish I did....." she said.

"Well, we'll worry about them later. Come on, let's get out of here. Oh, I got your crystal back for you, that guy who was controlling your mind had it around his neck earlier."

Hikaru glanced down, lightly touching her crystal as if to reassure herself that it was really there, and then smiled a little. "Thank you, my friend."

"You're welcome. Oh, here, this is yours too." Witty handed her the Dark Magician Girl card, and Hikaru placed it back in her own deck, blinking for a moment when she saw the duel disk on her arm, but then she shrugged it off.

With that, both girls took off on their motorcycles as the sun started to slip below the horizon, painting the sky above them the color of pure fire. Hikaru took no notice of it, though, as she was too caught up in her own thoughts to really pay any attention to it.

_Raphael, Alastair, I swear by the Great Leviathan, you'll pay for all that you've done. I don't know how yet, but someway, somehow, you will. You almost made me betray my friend and almost got us both killed. I don't know what you're scheming, but I'll find a way to stop you. Dark Magician Girl, Change of Heart, please, give me the strength to do this, and protect us both....._

A tear of frustration slid down her cheek, but she reached up and wiped it away before Witty noticed it. _I have the feeling things are about to get so much more complicated. I just hope we make it out of this mess alive. We'll have to head for San Francisco in the morning, I don't have the energy to teleport us that far right now. I just hope we can find the Pharaoh before things get too complicated. Witty, I'm sorry I dragged you into this. This is all my fault. You're in this because of me. But I won't let anything happen to you. I owe you a lot, you totally saved my butt back there. Please, forgive me, my friend.  
_--------------------------------------------------------------

_To Be Continued. Well, there you have it, the face-off. Quite dramatic, ne? And things are only going to get more heated for these two. How long will Hikaru be able to keep her secret hidden from Witty? And if she finds out Hikaru is the daughter of the man she thinks killed her master, will it destroy their bond of friendship? And what of the Pharaoh and the others? You'll just have to come back and find out when I have the new part up. Mwah hahaha!!! Please R&R. NO FLAMES. I mean it. (Smiles cheerily) Well, ja ne, all! Happy New Year!!_

_--Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz--_


	9. Journey To San Francisco

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back!_

_Rex: (Pops in from nowhere) Don't tell me you're gonna torture us more?_

_Hikaru: Yes, later we are, now get lost, dino-boy. (Evil smirk)_

_Rex: (Hightails it when Hikaru's eyes start glowing)_

_Witty: (Laughs) You like doing that to them, don't you?_

_Hikaru: (Nods, grinning) Yup! Oh, and to vaporeon13204, yes, it is the same Shaadi who has the Millennium Scales and Ankh, and Malik and Marik are bounty hunters in this fic, hired by Raphael and Alastair. Hopefully we've seen the last of them for a while, but who knows? And the thing between Shaadi and Dartz is a long story, which will probably be revealed in another series of vingettes I have in mind. Witty-chan, if you would be so kind?_

_Witty: We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours._

_Hikaru: Arigatou, Witty-chan! And now, on with the fic!  
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_Chapter 9: Journey To San Francisco_

Once dusk fell over Domino, Witty and Hikaru arrived at the airport for a while to hide out. _Hopefully we'll be safe here for a while until Hikaru gets better, _Witty thought as she helped her friend through the sliding doors.

They found the gate area with a sign jutting out from the walkway. **USA, CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO**, it read. Witty led Hikaru to the seats, but she sank down against one of the windows that faced the runways.

"Hikaru, are you okay?"

Hikaru wearily looked up at her and slipped the duel disk off her arm. "Yes," she whispered. "I'll be better in a minute."

Witty nodded and sat next to her. She pushed the duel disk away and looked back at her friend. She looked down at the stone at her chest and frowned. "Where did you get that, anyway?"

Hikaru knew how to answer honestly. "My father gave it to me," she said and left it at that.

Witty nodded and secretly touched the dagger that hid under her purple jacket. She sighed. "Quite the adventure today," she said with a bitter smile. "I hope we don't run into them again--"

"Me too," Hikaru said. She looked out toward the runway as the sun sprayed its crimson auras onto the planes that rolled by.

They watched as a red private leer jet came to a landing. On its side there were the initials, I.I. Witty frowned. "I-I? Who's I-I, do you think?" She looked at her friend as her bitter smile cured into a genuine grin.

Hikaru laughed. "Idiots Incorporated?" She gestured at the bottom of the plane. "Someone forgot to lower the wheels."

Witty gasped and watched as the plane hit the runway and sprayed orange fire sparks to either side of its body.

As soon as the jet screeched to a final halt, the door opened, the stairway lowered, and a man with dark glasses skipped down the stairs. He crouched down as the engine finally died and looked at the damage on the underside. He tore his glasses off his face and threw them to the ground. _Dammit,_ he lip-synced.

Hikaru and Witty exchanged looks as other people from the jet stepped down the staircase. They were all dressed in suits, like agents or bodyguards.

Witty looked from the window to the door to the side of the room. She saw a stairway lead down to the runway. She saw an image of her master wink as a tempting thought seeped into her mind. She looked at Hikaru. "Hey Hikaru," she said. "What do you think of hotwiring something bigger than the bikes?"

Hikaru looked at her. "Bigger?" She looked back at the jet. "Oh no," she said as a smile spread helplessly onto her face. "Oh no, Witty--what's that look in your eye?"

Witty cackled as the passengers of the jet left it to the aircraft maintenance. "You think you have enough magic to lift that thing into the air?"

Hikaru drummed her fingers on the windowsill. Her smile broadened.

Just as the maintenance crew ran out to the jet, Hikaru and Witty rushed out the door and Hikaru drew two cards from her pocket. Witty heard her chant the same words she had chanted before and two lights, like rays of sunlight, sprang out from the cards. Witty waved her hand over the wings and the jet's engine suddenly came to life. The maintenance crew was on the other side and when the engine suddenly started, one man ran around the other side to see the two girls climb up the stairs.

"HEY! You two come out of there! What are ya do'n?!"

One light from the cards formed into the Dark Magician Girl. She flew over to the jet and lifted the stairs to close the door. The angel from Change of Heart hovered between the man and the door as the others from the fix-up crew hurried over to join their companion, to see what was up with his shouts.

"Holy--" one of the crew began.

"What in the...?"

The two spirits guided the jet and turned it to face east, toward America. The wheels lowered and the engine roared. Hikaru looked out the window as her spirit guardians lifted the jet into the air and flew alongside it as it left Domino.

Witty tipped her hat to them in thanks.

Hikaru offered Witty a smile, then suddenly fell to her knees, her hands beneath her to brace herself from collapsing completely. Witty looked over at her worriedly.

"Hikaru? What's wrong?"

Hikaru shook her head. "Nothing. I think I just used a bit too much of my magic. I'll be fine in a minute," she assured her friend.

"You sure?" Witty asked.

"Yeah," she said. _Thank you again, my spirit guardians._

_**You are welcome, Hikaru, **_Dark Magician Girl replied in her mind.

"So what now?"

"We try to find Yugi Motou when we land, and, well........" she trailed off.

"And what?" Witty pried.

Hikaru sighed, glancing out one of the windows as the sun faded completely and the stars became visible. "And then I really don't know......"

Witty looked at her for a moment, finally seeming to accept her friend's answer. She hoped that whereever this was taking them, though, it would also lead her to the one who stole her master's soul. She stared out the window for a moment, then glanced over at Hikaru, noticing that she had fallen asleep. Witty sighed and sat down herself, staring out at the sky until she, too, finally drifted off.  
-----------------------------------

_To Be Continued. Well, there you go. Next chapter the girls reach San Francisco and have an unexpected run-in with some duelists that somehow escaped the Shadow Realm, and then meet up with the others. Oops. I think I said too much. A bit of one-sided Hikaru/Varon next chapter. Well, I'm gonna go now so I can get the next chapter of this up. Ja ne, minna-san!_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	10. Arrival In San Francisco And Unexpected ...

_Children of the Oricalchos _

_Witty: We're back again!!_

_Yami: Not again. And since when does someone else do the opening line on this bit?_

_Witty: Since now. Hikaru's a little busy chasing bug-boy with a dark energy ball at the moment._

_Yami: (Cue the sweatdrop) What did he do?_

_Witty: He tried to come on to her._

_Yami: Ew. I don't blame her then. (He looks over where Hikaru is chasing Weevil with a huge dark energy ball in her hand and throws it at him, screaming in her native tongue) O.O! Remind me not to even say anything to her for a while......_

_Witty: I wouldn't suggest it. She's a little upset right now._

_Yami: I can tell. O.O;;; Umm, you know what? I'll come back when she's not feeling homicidal. (He hightails it out of the room)_

_Witty: Well, we don't own YGO. Anything original is ours though. On with the fanfic.  
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_Chapter 10: Arrival In San Francisco And Unexpected Confrontations_

Both were awakened several hours later, though, by the bright sunlight flooding in through the windows of the jet. Hikaru opened her eyes and got up from her position on the floor of the plane and moved over to the window. She squinted her mis-matched eyes for a moment, letting them adjust to the light, then turned to Witty and saw her friend starting to wake up as well.

"It looks like we'll be landing in a few minutes, Witty-chan," Hikaru said, her voice still sounding a bit weary, but not as much as it did the day before.

Witty nodded. "Okay."

"Let's just hope we don't run into Alastair and Raphael again....." Hikaru muttered, but Witty heard her anyway.

"I wonder what they want from us, anyway?" Witty asked as the jet touched down.

HIkaru just shrugged. "I really don't know, and I really don't like having to guess with those two. Most likely it's just me they're after, if anything. They're probably just mad because I've played one too many tricks on them," she said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

Witty chuckled a little at that, but it seemed half-hearted. In all honesty, her friend's words had worried her. But she didn't let it show as they left the jet. Hikaru thanked Dark Magician Girl and Change of Heart for their help and the two duel monsters disappeared again. Hikaru muttered a spell to summon their motorcycles so they wouldn't have to walk and they drove away.

"So Hikaru, do you think maybe this Yugi Motou that we're looking for has any ties to Dartz?" Witty asked, breaking the silence that had fallen down in the air between them.

Hikaru shrugged, though she knew it was almost impossible odds that Yugi even knew of the name, much less had any ties to him. But she couldn't tell Witty that, or her whole cover would be blown. She really hated having to lie to her friend like this, but she didn't know what else she could really do right now.

"I don't know, Witty. I suppose it's possible," she replied.

Suddenly three figures stepped out in front of them as they took a shortcut through a cemetery, causing Witty and Hikaru to have to stopsuddenly to keep from running them over. Hikaru growled as she took off her helmet, her sky-colored hair flowing out behind her in the breeze and narrowed her eyes. _Not more of these idiots....._ she thought to herself. Out loud, she demanded, "What is it with these people and doing that?!" She clasped her crystal and Witty drew her dagger, just in case these three--who, for some reason, were wearing what looked like Halloween masks--were after them like those two blondes that Raphael and Alastair had hired to capture them before.

The shortest of the three stepped forward, seeming to be the leader, and chuckled darkly. He had a duel disk on his arm, as did the other two who were with him. Hikaru rolled her eyes and glanced over at Witty for a moment, then at the three strangers who were blocking their way, and again, her eyes took on that strange glow, but they either didn't notice, or weren't unnerved by it, probably believing it to be just a trick of the light.

"Move it, shorty. We don't have time for this foolishness," she growled.

"Hey, this one's a bit feisty, she is," one of the taller ones said, what sounded like a British accent seeping through his voice. Hikaru glared, not liking the way he had said that.

"I mean it. I'm not in the mood for this, so move it, or we're running you over," Hikaru threatened, her aura becoming darker now.

The third one, who was obviously quite a bit more dense than his companions--though, Hikaru had to admit, even that was a bit of a stretch, considering the other two seemed about as dumb as a brick as well--stepped forward, hovering over the two girls, obviously trying to intimidate them, but it didn't work.

"In case you didn't notice, we have you outnumbered," he said, a smirk clearly evident in his tone.

Hikaru snorted derisively. "Funny, I wouldn't have even guessed that you had brains enough to know how to count," she retorted.

The shortest one of the three stepped forward again, glaring at his taller companion behind the mask he wore. "Knock it off!" He turned to Hikaru. "You. I challenge you to a duel."

Hikaru glanced at Witty. "This won't take long." She got off her motorcycle and turned to the one who had challenged her. "Fine, if we're going to duel, then take off your mask and show me your face, otherwise no dice," she snapped.

The short one, Bonz, nodded. "Fine." Then he took off his mask, revealing his real face, which actually wasn't much different than the mask, oddly enough.

Hikaru blinked and she and Witty exchanged looks. "Okay, kid, take off the under mask," Hikaru muttered.

"This is my real face!" Bonz yelled, insulted.

"Well, you've gotta admit, she does have a point there, Bonz," the one with the British accent, Sid, remarked, snickering.

"Aw, shut up!" Bonz snapped, glaring at him for a moment before turning his attention back to Hikaru.

Hikaru smirked, back to her old self again. She turned to Witty, a devious grin spilling across her face. "Hey, I got one for you, Witty. What's the difference between shorty here's real face and a Halloween mask?" she asked innocently.

Witty shrugged, playing along with the joke. "I don't know, what?"

"Not much!" Hikaru quipped, then both girls started laughing hysterically.

"That is not funny!" Bonz shouted, advancing on the girls, Sid and Zygol close behind.

Hikaru noticed this and summoned an energy ball into her hand, holding it out towards them in warning. "I wouldn't do it if I were you, boys," Hikaru said smugly.

"What is that thing?" Zygol asked, rather stupidly.

"She's bluffing," Sid said, though he sounded a bit uncertain.

Hikaru smirked at them like a cat who had just cornered a bird. "Are you willing to find out if I'm bluffing or not?" she asked, a bit too casually, as the lighting streaks that snapped over the energy ball became more fierce with her irritation. She started to lower it, acting as though she was backing down, but then she hurled it in their direction, just barely missing them and instead it hit a nearby tree, making it explode. All three yelped and looked at her in shock. "That was just a small one. There's plenty more where that came from. Now, do you still want to duel me?" Hikaru asked, her tone smug.

"Yeah! Now let's do this!" Bonz retorted impatiently.

"Hikaru, are you sure about this?" Witty asked.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah. This won't take long. Shorty here is going down. And just to be fair......here, hold on to this for me, will you?" she said, handing Witty the Seal of Oricalchos.

Witty looked at the card. "The Seal of Oricalchos? What's this?"

"A very dangerous card with the power to take the soul of the loser of a duel. Don't ask where I got it. I nicked it off Raphael when he grabbed me back in that alleyway," Hikaru explained, her words only partially true.

Witty nodded. "All right. Take him down, Hikaru!"

Hikaru smiled. "I will." She turned to Bonz. "Now, let's get on with this. I'll start things off. I'll play Amazoness Paladin in attack mode and place two cards face down."

The duel continued on, with both of them coming to a stalemate time after time, until Hikaru finally drew her trump card. Unfortunately for her, she wasn't able to attack for one more turn because of Bonz's Nightmare Steel Cage. _But that's not a big deal. After this thing is gone, I'll summon my Dark Magician Girl and use Sage's Stone and I'll wipe out the rest of his lifepoints._ "Well, come on, make your move so we can end this duel!" she called out, irritated at being stuck in that stupid cage.

"Fine, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

_Hmm, that face down card could be a trap. Luckily for me, I have my Sorcerer of Dark Magic on the field, so if it is, it'll be useless. But just to be sure......_ The Nightmare Steel Cage finally faded from the field and Hikaru smirked. "You know, it's almost a shame this duel has to end so quickly."

"What do you mean?!" Bonz asked.

"I mean, it's over for you, shorty." _Wait a minute. I have my Egyptian God card in my hand. It would be fitting to wipe him out with it, and besides, this is my chance to test out its true power._

"Just make your move!"

Hikaru nodded. "Very well. I sacrifice my Sorcerer of Dark Magic, My Fire Princess, and my Gemini Elf to summon a powerful creature the likes of which you've never seen before, or ever will again. My Egyptian God card, the Winged Dragon of Ra!" She placed the card on her duel disk in attack mode and started to chant. _"Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry! Unveil thyself from orb of light, and bring me victory in this fight! Unleash your desert rage upon my foe, so that together we may win! Appear now in this duel, Winged Dragon of Ra!"_

A moment later, the sky above darkened, and lightning struck, almost hitting Sid and Zygol, who stood behind Bonz. They yelped in fright and ducked out of the way. All three of them watched, wide-eyed, as a huge, golden dragon appeared on Hikaru's side of the field. Bonz stood there, shaking for a moment, before a smirk crossed his face.

"Fat lot of good that thing's gonna do you. It doesn't have any attack points!" he declared smugly.

"What?! Hikaru, what are you thinking?!" Witty called out.

"Trust me, Witty. I know what I'm doing." She winked at her friend. "And you're wrong about my monster, short-stuff. The Winged Dragon of Ra absorbs the attack and defense power of all the creatures I sacrificed to summon it. That brings its strength all the way up to 6400, more than enough to wipe out your lifepoints. And just because I don't trust your face down cards, I'll play a magic card to get rid of them. Harpie's Feather Duster!" The magic card rid the field of Bonz's face down cards and Hikaru smirked. "And now I'll deliver the final blow that will win the duel for me. Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack his lifepoints directly, now!"

The creature attacked, letting loose with an almost devastating burst of power, taking out the rest of Bonz's lifepoints and knocking him backwards, stunned. The holograms disappeared and Hikaru got back on her motorcycle, casting a smile of triumph towards Witty. But the celebration was short-lived when Sid and Zygol started cursing them and chasing after them.

"Uh-oh. I think we've officially worn out our welcome here. Let's hightail it!" Hikaru yelped, and the two girls sped off, leaving the two dumb lackies in the dust.

"Hikaru, do you have any idea where we're gonna find Yugi?" Witty asked.

Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, his grandfather said he and his friends were headed for Industrial Illusions headquarters, so chances are, that's exactly where we'll find them." _I just hope Raphael and Alastair don't show up and crash the party._

The two girls rode on in a companionable silence for a while, finally reaching the Industrial Illusions building. They were more than a little shocked to find the two they had run into in Domino City there as well. But Hikaru just shrugged it off and teleported them inside, unnoticed by any of the others. There was a duel going on between Mai Valentine and a blonde boy with brown eyes wearing a blue jacket. They watched from the shadows as the boy started to turn the tables, and Mai fell to her knees, muttering something brokenly under her breath.

Hikaru glanced up right about then and her eyes widenend when she saw Raphael standing on the balcony with Varon. She nudged Witty, who followed her gaze and gasped, her eyes going wide as well. Both shrunk back further into the shadows to watch, hoping they would not be seen.

It seemed as though Mai was about to lose when suddenly Varon leapt off the balcony, falling down towards where the duel was taking place inside the Seal of Oricalchos, his arm outstretched.

"With this fragment of the Oricalchos stone, I unlock the Seal!" he chanted, and the Seal vanished the second his ring touched it. Raphael cursed and leapt down after him.

Hikaru's eyes went even more wide and she gasped softly when she saw the way Varon was holding the now-unconscious Mai in his arms, what seemed to be pure love and worry for the blonde woman shimmering in his blue eyes. She bowed her head slightly, letting her hair fall over her face like a veil when she felt hot tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. She turned away, not wanting to see it, feeling her heart break. Witty glanced at her, sensing something wrong, and put her hand on the other girl's arm to get her attention.

"Hikaru, what's wrong?" Witty asked.

Hikaru just shook her head, not looking up. "Nothing, I'm fine," she said quietly, but it was clear from the hurt in her tone that she wasn't. Neither girl was aware of Raphael glancing quickly in their direction, having noticed the two of them come in. Hikaru turned around, her eyes glowing again like they did when she was upset, and glared at Mai, though the other was completely unaware of the look.

_God, ever since that Mai woman showed up, he's been all flustered over her. I should have realized he would never care for me that way. Fine, forget him. I don't need him anyway......_ she thought to herself bitterly, though she tried not to let it show in her all-too-expressive eyes. She shook the thoughts from her head and her eyes went back to normal again as she and Witty watched, waiting for the coast to be clear.

They didn't have to wait long. Raphael called on the power of his Oricalchos crystal, and a moment later they were gone. There was a bit of an argument--or so it seemed--between some of the others, during which they took the opportunity to make their appearance. A boy with tri-colored hair and crimson eyes noticed them first and turned towards them.

"Hello. Who might you be?" he asked kindly.

Hikaru stepped forward first, sensing that this one was the Pharaoh, but keeping her revelation to herself for the time being. She bowed slightly. "My name is Hikaru, and this is my friend Witty. Forgive us if we startled you. We've come looking for Yugi Motou."

A shorter version of the one who had spoken to them first stepped forward. "I'm Yugi," he said, offering the girls a smile and pointing to his companions. "This is Yami, Joey, Tea, Tristan, Duke, Ryou, and Bakura."

"A pleasure to meet you," Hikaru said.

Witty nodded in agreement. "And the same here."

"So what brings you all the way out here just to find Yugi?" Duke asked.

Both girls glanced at each other. "We were running from some bikers who have been chasing us for several days now, and we were told you might know something about them," Hikaru said in a bit of a white lie. "They captured the soul of a friend, or so we've been led to believe. Please, if you could help us......" she said, putting on the 'desperate damsel in distress' charm, her mis-matched eyes shimmering with sadness, as did Witty's.

"Of course we will." Yami replied gently.

"Thank you," Hikaru said, glancing over at Witty again. _I promised I'd help you find your master's killer, Witty. I truly don't think it was my father, he's too gentle. There's something more going on, and whatever it is, those fools Raphael and Alastair are behind it. But is Varon in on it, too? Did he set me up to walk into their trap that night? Maybe they know something about what happened to the Witty Phantom. I wouldn't put it past those slimeballs....._ she thought to herself. Then she pushed the thoughts aside for the time being and turned to the others. "Those two who were here before, the two standing on that balcony.....they and one other are the ones who are after us," she said softly, her voice barely audible.  
-----------------------------------

_To Be Continued. This part is a bit longer than last chapter. And yes, Bonz and the others did end up getting out of the Shadow Realm in our fic. They came through the plot-hole, er---I mean, from over there!!! Mwah haha! Yes, I'm being random. Aw, I'll stop now, it's outta my system for now. Please R&R, and no flames. I mean it. Well, I'll try to have the next chapter up when I can. This is all we have for right now, so I'm not really sure where things are going to go from here. And as to whether Varon (Valon, whatever) is involved, you'll just have to come back and find out. Mwah hahaha! Well, ja ne, minna-san!_

_Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz_


	11. New Allies

_Children of the Oricalchos _

_Hikaru: We're back with more of this!_

_Yami: Oh dear Ra, please, no._

_Hikaru: Can you not even be nice to me on my birthday?_

_Yami: Hmm, let me think....no._

_Hikaru: Witty, do me a favor and kick his arse for me. (Is still peeved over the Weevil incident)_

_Witty: I think you made her mad, Pharaoh-boy. (Gets a wicked grin on her face and chases Yami out)_

_Hikaru: (Cackles) Mwah hahahaha!!!! Serves him right. Anyway, on with the fic, whilst I go help Witty kick Yami's probably not-so-happy-leather-clad-arse. Oh, btw, we don't own YGO, but anything original is ours, and this chapter was written entirely by Witty.  
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_Chapter 11: New Allies_

"Well," Joey said in a gangster's accent. "What a coincidence. Those slime-balls are after us too!"

Tea stepped up. "They stole Yugi's Egyptian god cards. We came here in search for answers from Maximillion Pegasus, but…" She looked around.

Witty nodded. She had heard of the famous Maximillion Pegasus, the creator of Duel Monsters. She watched the group of friends and her eyes found the two boys, Ryou and Bakura looking at Hikaru with some admiration.

Ryou had a soft look in his kind brown eyes, but Bakura's near-identical eyes shone with a dark light and he had a smug smirk on his face.

Witty lifted a brow and looked at Hikaru, but she just looked around, barely noticing—

Then her eyes shifted from Ryou to the ground; then to Bakura and back to the floor.

Witty bit her lip and stifled a chuckle.

Yugi told the girls about a professor named Arthur Hawkins. They had planned to go there for answers and so Hikaru took Witty aside to talk to her.

"We might find answers of our own if we tag along," she whispered.

Witty nodded. "Good idea." So, the girls asked to tag along, and soon everyone rode in Duke's car.

Witty kept hearing something bounce in the trunk, but she just shrugged it off as they drove into the desert.

When they finally reached the professor's lab, they found it in a mess of scorched wood and destroyed evidence.

A little girl came running up to the car and Yugi was the first to jump out of the car. "Rebecca!" The girl, named Rebecca, fell into his arms.

"They took him!" She cried. "They destroyed everything—oh, Yugi!"

Yugi held her. "It's okay, Rebecca," he said to her. "It will all be okay."

Witty and Hikaru exchanged worried looks.

Later in the nearby RV, while Rebecca took Yugi aside to talk with him, Hikaru and Witty stood outside and peeked into the window next to them. "Tell me what we're doing here again," Witty said and tossed her dagger into the air. She caught it by the tip of the blade and threw it up again.

Hikaru stole a peek through the window and saw Yugi and Rebecca talking, but she heard no words. "Answers," she said. "I hope so…" She gasped.

Witty looked at her. "What?" Hikaru put her hand on the window and stared through it. "A shard of the Orichalcos," she whispered.

"What?" Witty hadn't heard her.

Hikaru quickly went inside and Witty heard the trunk bounce again. Taken by surprise, she rushed in after her friend.

Hikaru stood and watched as Yugi accepted a necklace from Rebecca. It was the same kind of necklace Hikaru wore! Witty watched, wide-eyed, but kept her lips sealed.

That night, Witty stared up at the ceiling of the RV and heard voices between Yugi and Rebecca. She heard something about a note, but she just ignored it and looked over to Hikaru's bed.

It was empty.

Witty frowned and thought about the bouncing trunk.

Hikaru was outside, lost in her thoughts, when the trunk of Duke's car bounced for the last time, and two kids jumped out, gasping for air.

Hikaru gasped. It was those same two kids from Domino!! So they had hitched a ride as well!  
------------------------------------------------

_To Be Continued. Sorry I haven't put up any for a while. I would have done it earlier, but today was my birthday (the 13th, mwah hahahahaha!!) There's more to come, I'll try to get it up tonight, but I make no promises. If I don't, I'll try to get it up tomorrow. Let's just say things are gonna get even more difficult for these two girls, and as time passes, Hikaru's secret will be more in danger of being discovered. What will happen to them next? If you want to find out, then you'll have to come back and see. ((Chibi smile)) Please R&R! And NO FLAMES! I mean it. I will be royally peeved if someone flames this, because it's my friend's story too. Well, anyway, ja ne, minna-san!_

_--Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz--_


	12. Raphael Vs The Pharaoh

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: Here's another new part!_

_Witty: (Is looking rather smug)_

_Hikaru: (Looks at her curiously)_

_Witty: (Gestures to where Yami is tied up with tape over his mouth and looking rather bruised up)_

_Hikaru: (Snickers) Nice. ((A/N: I don't hate Yami, he's just fun to mess with)) Hey, Witty-chan? Would you do the disclaimer for me?_

_Witty: (Nods) We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours._

_Hikaru: Arigatou! And now, on with the fic!  
--------------------------------_

_Chapter 12: Raphael Vs. The Pharaoh_

"Ow, that was not fun," the one with glasses muttered.

"Remind me never to listen to you anymore, bug-brain!" his friend griped, glaring at him.

Hikaru watched them, not sure if she should be amused or annoyed by the fact that these two had interrupted her thoughts. She reached up, and was about to hide her Oricalchos crystal, when she heard what sounded like footsteps from somewhere close by. She ducked into the shadows, watching as Yugi rode away on Rebecca's horse, Copernicus. Her curiosity at where he was headed started to get the better of her and she slipped back inside the RV, only to be met by Witty. She glanced around to see if anyone else was awake, and was relieved to find that they weren't. Witty looked at her, wondering what had her friend so uptight.

"Hikaru? What's wrong?"

"Come on, we have to follow Yugi," Hikaru replied.

Witty looked at her in confusion. "Why, what's going on?" she asked.

Hikaru shrugged, shaking her head. "I'm not really sure. But I just have the feeling something's going to happen, and that Raphael and Alastair are involved," she answered.

Witty nodded, and a question that had been nagging at her in the back of her mind since earlier came back to her. "Hikaru, what happened earlier at Industrial Illusions? Something upset you. And who was that guy who was with Raphael?"

"He was another one of the palace guards, named Varon," Hikaru replied, not really wanting to answer Witty's other questions right now.

Witty, seeming to sense this, nodded and left it at that. The girls left the RV and started off in the direction that Yugi had gone. Hikaru was half-tempted to just use her magic and teleport them there, but since they had no idea where he had gone, it would have just been rather pointless anyway, really.

They finally found him though, farther out in the deserts of Death Valley. Her two-tone eyes went very wide in shock when she saw the Seal of Oricalchos on the field, and that Raphael was there, dueling against the Pharaoh, rather than Yugi. They watched as Raphael taunted Yami a bit, before calling out one final attack, using Guardian Eyatos to deliver the crushing blow. Yami fell to his knees as the attack hit and the Seal closed in on him, collapsing a moment later.

Hikaru nudged Witty as they heard the sounds of a helicopter approaching. Raphael took the Oricalchos shard that Yami wore around his neck and the Seal of Oricalchos card. Then he picked up the fallen Pharaoh and grabbed onto the rope ladder that had been extended from the doorway of the helicopter. But Hikaru noticed that something seemed a bit off about Yami. She had sensed the dark power of the Oricalchos emanating from him, but yet, somehow, it seemed to be much stronger now. That was when she realized what had happened. Yugi must have somehow found a way to break through the Seal and had taken Yami's place rather than let the Pharaoh be captured.

They heard Joey shouting at Raphael angrily, and Hikaru saw Raphael smirk at her and Witty, unnoticed by the others, as he threw Yami roughly to the ground, before taking off into the distance with Alastair. The girls ran over to the others, Witty casting a glare at the helicopter as Weevil and Rex took off after it, unnoticed by anyone else.

By the time they got to where Duke, Tristan and Joey were standing, Yami had started to open his eyes and sat up. The other three looked relieved by this, but apparently they didn't realize that it was Yugi's soul that had been taken, judging by the conversation that followed. Witty and Hikaru exchanged looks, then stared in surprise when Yami fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

"It's not fair! It should have been me, not him!" Yami cried out in anguish.

Hikaru, feeling sorry for Yami despite the fact that he was the one her father had sent her to capture, kneeled down in front of him, sympathy shimmering in her eyes. She placed her hand comfortingly on Yami's shoulder, a single tear sliding down her own alabaster cheek. Crimson met sapphire and gold as Yami looked up at her, the pain of loss shining in his eyes.

_Just like Witty's......_ Hikaru thought to herself sadly. _Damn it!_

"Yami, we'll find a way to get him back. Come on, we should probably get back so we can figure out what our next move is going to be," she said softly.

Yami just nodded and Hikaru reached out her hand to him, helping him to his feet. The group walked back to Duke's car and headed back to Rebecca and her grandfather's RV. The drive back was spent in an uncomfortable silence. Hikaru stared out at the endless expanse of desert, her eyes glazed over slightly as she let herself get lost in her own thoughts. She didn't even really notice that the car had stopped until she saw Yami get out and Rebecca and Tea come over to them.

"Oh, Yugi, I knew you'd win!" Rebecca said happily, hugging who she thought was Yugi.

"No, Rebecca. Yugi's gone." Yami said quietly.

"Yugi?"

"What's going on?" Tea asked, having watched this whole exchange.

"Yugi didn't win. That card took his soul," Duke spoke up.

"How can that be possible if Yugi's standing right---huh?" Tea said, then turned around and got a good look at the other. "Oh no," she whispered.

Rebecca looked at Yami, and tears streamed down her face. "You knew that card was evil and you still played it?! How could you?! It's not fair! I want my Yugi. It should have been you instead of him!" she sobbed brokenly, hiding her face in Yami's chest after a moment.

"Now wait just a minute, Rebecca....." Tea started and Rebecca ran to her. Tea held her, trying to comfort her.

The rest of the conversation was lost on Hikaru, who seemed to have zoned out again. She stepped out of the car and wandered away from the others. She stared up at the sky, lost in her own thoughts. Her heart went out to Rebecca--who apparently had a crush on Yugi--when she heard the younger girl's heartbreaking sobs. She sighed. _How long can I keep this up? It hurt me to see Yami that way. But my father......._

Her thoughts were suddenly interrupted when she felt a gentle hand fall onto her shoulder. She turned around and saw Ryou standing there, a kind look in his soft, mocha-colored eyes. Bakura came over to them too, his usual smirk replaced by a deep frown that didn't seem to suit him at all. She gave them a sad look, but didn't say anything.

"Are you all right, Hikaru?" Ryou asked, concern for her seeping through the soft British accent in his voice.

She nodded. "Yes, I'm fine. I hope you don't find me rude, but I kind of need to be alone for a little while," she replied.

They both nodded. "All right. But we'll be here if you need us," Bakura said.

Hikaru smiled a little at that, deeply touched by their kindness. "Thank you both. Can you do me a favor and tell Witty and the others that I just have something I need to take care of? I promise, I won't be gone very long," she requested.

"Of course," Ryou answered. Both of them hugged Hikaru briefly, causing her to blush prettily, but she hid it behind the veil of her sky-colored hair as they turned and walked away.  
----------------------------------------

_To Be Continued. This one is a little longer than the last chapter, and there's a bit of fluff between Hikaru, Ryou and Bakura here. Yes, she's pretty much starting to get over Varon. But how much longer can she keep the others from finding out her secret? And what will happen if they do find out who she truly is? Can you say, look at the purdy explosions? Everyone back up, because I don't know how wild this thing is gonna get! Sorry, couldn't stop myself, I was watching Garfield the movie last night and for some reason that line just popped into my mind just now. Yes, I'm hyper. I'll try to get at least one more chapter up, but I don't know if I'll do much more than that tonight. If I don't put up past one more chapter tonight, I'll update again tomorrow if I have time. Promise. Well, ja ne, minna-san!_

_--Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz--_


	13. Father And Daughter Conversations

_Children of the Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back with more of this!_

_Witty: (Runs in, carrying Yami's Millennium Puzzle. She tosses it to Hikaru) Hikaru, catch!_

_Hikaru: (Does so and grins)_

_Yami: (Runs in) Give that back!_

_Witty: (Looking at Yami innocently) Give what back? I don't have anything. (She holds out her empty hands to prove her point)_

_Hikaru: (Smirk) You lose something, Pharaoh-boy? (She holds up the Puzzle by its chain like a trophy)_

_Yami: GIVE. THAT. BACK. NOW!!!!_

_Hikaru: Hmm...no, I don't think I will. Witty! Heads up! (She tosses it to her friend)_

_Witty: (Catches it and runs, ducking behind Hikaru) Oh, btw, we don't own YGO, but anything original is ours._

_Hikaru: Arigatou! And now, on with the fic! Meep! (Both run away from a peeved-off Yami) Atrox!  
---------------------------_

_Chapter 13: Father and Daughter Conversations_

She waited until they were gone, and then wandered to where she would not be seen. She glanced around to make sure she had not been followed, and, satisfied that no one was there, she pulled her crystal from where it was concealed beneath the fabric of her dress and clasped it tightly. She closed her eyes and whispered a teleportation spell in her native tongue, willing it to take her to her father's headquarters in downtown Domino City. A short time later she appeared inside the building and headed up towards the top floor where she sensed her father's presence. She entered the room and moved over to where he was standing.

"Father, I need to speak with you. It's about the mission--" she started to say, suddenly being interrupted by the sounds of footsteps coming closer.

A moment or two later, Raphael and Alastair walked into the room. Hikaru took a step back from them unconsciously, clasping her crystal in a slightly nervous gesture, and trying not to look like she was unnerved by them.

Just then she was snapped out of her thoughts by a startled cry of, "YOU!" coming from the two who had followed Raphael and Alastair in. Her mis-matched eyes went slightly wide in shock for a second, then narrowed as she glared at the two of them. An energy ball formed in her hand as she did so.

"Who are those two?" Dartz snapped, sounding rather irritated.

No one got the chance to answer, though. Hikaru stepped forward, looking rather peeved. "Look, you little worm bastards. You breathe one word, just one word, about who I truly am to anybody, and I swear by the Great Leviathan, I'll blast both of you into the underworld with my magic in a split second, you got that?" she hissed, the energy ball in her hand glowing darker with her every word, the lightning that streaked across it becoming more frantic with her agitation.

Weevil nudged Rex in the side nervously, letting out a squeak. "Holy crap, she's serious, Rex!" he said in that high-pitched, shrill voice of his that only grated on Hikaru's nerves even further.

Rex glanced at Weevil, before turning back to Hikaru, putting his hands up in front of him in a defensive gesture. "Okay, okay! We won't say anything! Just don't kill us!" he yelped, as both of them ducked behind Raphael, the blonde man rolling his eyes at how pitiful they were.

At this, Hikaru turned on Raphael and Alastair, reassuring herself that they couldn't do anything to her as long as her father was standing right there. "And you two! Are you really so incompetent as to let someone follow you here?! You pathetic little fools! I should blast you both right now!" she yelled furiously.

"Hikaru, calm yourself," Dartz said, laying his hand on her shoulder in a gesture that was clearly meant to tell her to keep her frustration in check for the moment.

Hikaru glanced up at her father and nodded, letting the energy ball in her hand fade away, albeit extremely reluctantly. She hovered in the background, evesdropping on the conversation that followed between her father and the others. She couldn't stop herself from rolling her eyes when Rex and Weevil started practically begging her father to let them join the DOOM organization just for a little revenge. _Pathetic...._ She looked on with a detached sort of interest as the two little twerps--amazingly enough--managed to grab the two shards of the Oricalchos stone. She waited until they were gone before deciding to speak to her father.

"Now, what was it you wanted to tell me, little one?" Dartz asked once they were the only ones in the room.

Hikaru looked up at him, pushing herself away from the wall she had been leaning against casually."It's about the mission," she replied.

Dartz, seeming to know what she was going to say, answered before she could. "You're having second thoughts about it."

Hikaru nodded, looking down at the floor, not wanting to see the disappointment that she was sure was going to be in her father's eyes. "Yes," she whispered, her voice barely loud enough to hear.

Dartz gently tilted his daughter's face upwards so that they were eye to eye. "I'm not disappointed in you, little one," he said. "But we're close to victory. I need you to see this through."

Hikaru bit her lip, trying not to let the fact that she had started to become fond of the others show in her face. "But why do you need his soul?" she asked, referring to the Pharaoh. "Couldn't we find another?"

Dartz shook his head. "No, little one." It was then that he recognized the look in her eyes. It was the same look he got whenever he was around Shaadi. "You've fallen in love."

Hikaru nodded again. "Yes. Not with the Pharaoh, but......" she trailed off.

"With one of his companions," Dartz said.

"Yes." She looked up at him, her mis-matched eyes that were so much like his own seeming to be pleading with him now. "Please, father. Leave Ryou and Bakura alone," she whispered.

Dartz nodded. "Very well, little one," he said kindly.

She let a little smile of relief show on her face. "Thank you. I'll get the soul of the Pharaoh. I won't let you down." _Though how long I can keep this up before someone figures out who I am, I don't know. Witty, Ryou, Bakura, please, forgive me._

Dartz ruffled her hair affectionately. "I know you won't. You should probably return before anyone becomes suspicious," he said.

Hikaru nodded, hugging her father briefly before stepping back. She clasped her crystal again, closing her eyes and chanting the same spell as before. She vanished, finally reappearing and landing on Duke's car. She muttered to herself and looked around. No one seemed to be outside, so she entered the RV after hiding her crystal again, finding everyone else gathered in the dining area with Professor Hawkins. She sat down next to Witty and looked at the others.

"I'm sorry about that. I just had something I needed to take care of. What did I miss?" she asked.

"We're just trying to figure out our next move," Tristan replied.

"Which is....?" Hikaru looked at the others.

Rebecca glanced up from her laptop and looked at Hikaru. "I've booked train tickets for you, Witty, Yami, Tea, Ryou, Bakura, Tristan and Joey for Florida. Duke said he'd stay here just in case those guys come back," she answered.

"Why Florida?"

"Because that's where we might be able to find out something about this Dartz guy that's behind all of this," Joey said, muttering something about "evil jerk," and "Atlantis."

Hikaru felt her temper start to flare at that, but she didn't let it show on her face. Instead she looked down at the table for a moment, trying to calm herself and getting lost in her thoughts.

_This cannot be good........_ she thought to herself, letting out a quiet little sigh and looking up at the others. "So when do we leave?" she asked.  
-----------------------------------

_To Be Continued. Well, there you have it. Things are getting more and more complicated. Poor Hikaru and Witty just can't seem to catch a break. (Mutters something about how people are going to kill me for what happens next chapter). I'm not going to say here, though, because I don't want to give away any spoilers. All I'm going to say is any Ryou fans will probably need a tissue. Well, R&R please! NO FLAMES. I mean it. Ja ne minna-san. l'm gonna go now so l can post another part of this._

_--Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz--_


	14. Another Soul Taken

_Children Of The Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: We're back!_

_Yami: Dear Ra, not again._

_Hikaru: Do not make me use my magic on you. (Sends a little burst of fire his way to prove her point)_

_Yami: (Yelps)_

_Hikaru: (Looks rather pleased with herself) In your face, Pharaoh-boy..._

_Witty: (Comes in, chuckling at Yami trying to put out the sparks in his hair) See, that's why you shouldn't use so much hair gel, Pharaoh. (Snickers and turns to Hikaru) Nice one._

_Hikaru: (Grins and bows) Thank you. (Turns serious, muttering about how people are going to kill her for this chapter) Witty, if you'd be so kind?_

_Witty: (Nods) We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours. Oh, and Ryou fans may need a tissue._

_Hikaru: (Looks slightly guilty) And now, on with the fic.  
-_

_Chapter 14: Another Soul Taken_

"In the morning," Rebecca answered.

Hikaru nodded. Just then she sensed something familiar close by and stood up, her two-tone eyes glowing again. She started for the door, Witty, Ryou and Bakura following her, wondering what was going on. The others looked on in confusion, Rebecca and her grandfather exchanging worried looks. Hikaru left the RV, Witty and the two white-haired Ringbearers right behind her. Her gaze scanned the surrounding area, finally falling on a familiar blonde coming towards them. She hissed, cursing to herself when the other reached them, a smirk on his face.

"Raphael, I might have expected you. I recognized your foul stench when you arrived," she sneered, feeling rather bold at the moment. Raphael ignored her, turning his attention to the two Ringbearers, namely Bakura. "You, I challenge you to a duel!"

Hikaru turned to Bakura. "No, don't, Bakura! He'll take your soul like he did-Ack!" she started to say when Raphael grabbed her, cutting her off mid-sentence.

"Shut up, you little wretch!" He turned to Bakura. "So, what will it be? Duel me, or the girl here dies," he said, holding the blade of a dagger close to her neck and using his own Oricalchos crystal to keep Hikaru from using her magic on him and escaping.

"Hikaru!" Witty and Ryou shouted at the same time.

"Bakura, don't!" Hikaru yelped.

Bakura glared at Raphael, his crimson-tinted brown eyes becoming cold and harsh. He stepped forward, the Millennium Ring around his neck glowing brightly, a dark energy emanating from the Item. His eyes narrowed, becoming angry, glittering slits of near-ebony.

"Release her, or I'll banish you to the shadows, mortal," Bakura threatened.

"Your Shadow Powers are useless against me. Meet me in death valley if you ever want to see the girl alive again," he said, then, using the same trick he had back at Industrial Illusions, he vanished with Hikaru still in his grasp.

"Atrox!" Witty muttered.

"Bakura, are you going to go through with it?" Ryou asked, worry for Bakura and Hikaru shimmering in his eyes.

"I have no other choice it seems," Bakura replied.

"I'm going with you," Ryou said.

"So am I," Witty spoke up.

Bakura nodded. "All right, let's get going."

They were just about to head out when everyone else came outside. Rebecca looked around, then turned to Witty, who seemed to be rather upset, as did Ryou and Bakura. Her expression was one of confusion as she spoke.

"What's going on? We heard shouting out here. And where's Hikaru?" Rebecca asked.

"Raphael took her. He showed up, demanded that Bakura duel him, and took off with Hikaru to make sure he didn't refuse," Witty answered.

"He what?" Joey asked in disbelief.

"Do you know where they went?" Tristan spoke up.

Ryou nodded. "He said to meet him in Death Valley if...if we wanted to see her alive again..." He trailed off, his all-too-expressive eyes filled with worry.

"We'll go with you," Tea said, ever the loyal one.

Witty shook her head. "No, you guys stay here. Bakura, Ryou and I will go and get her back. Besides, if Raphael is around, then Alastair usually isn't far behind, and as dumb as he is, he's also dangerous. He might come after Professor Hawkins like last time," she said.

"If he does, Tris and I will take him," Joey said, striking a heroic pose, or what he thought was one, anyway.

Witty raised an eyebrow. "Wheeler, he has magic. I highly doubt trying to fight him in hand-to-hand combat will do any good."

Rebecca looked like she was about to say that there was no such thing as magic, but something must have changed her mind. She glanced at Yami, who hadn't spoken even so much as one word this entire time and shook her head, then looked back at Witty.

"Just be careful," she said.

Bakura nodded. "We will, shorty." He turned to Ryou and Witty. "Come on, let's go." He took off with the other two following him.

"I hope they'll be okay," Tea said as the trio left.

"I'm sure they will be," Duke said, placing a hand on Tea's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Raphael waited for Bakura to show up. He glanced over at Hikaru with a dark smirk on his face. She glared at him, trying not to let him see her fear. She wasn't about to let him have that satisfaction again.

"You'd better let me go now!" she snapped, struggling against the bonds that kept her from escaping. "When my father hears about this, he'll...!" She was cut off as Raphael slapped her harshly across the face, the blow that she hadn't expected stunning her for a moment. She kept her face turned to the side, finally turning back to glare at him again, ignoring the dark bruise forming on her face from where he had struck her.

"You say one word about this, and I'll do far worse than merely slap you, understand?" he growled, bringing the blade of his dagger to her neck, not close enough to draw blood, but just enough to make her slightly nervous.

She cursed at him in Atlantean, her eyes daring him to do something stupid. _If only I had my crystal! But this jerk stole it when he brought me here...I can't even access my other powers, he's blocking them somehow._

He was about to move the blade closer when they heard someone approaching. Raphael smirked at her again, and she narrowed her eyes, not liking the way he was looking at her now. He moved back from her and turned around, and a slow, dark smile spread across his face when he saw Bakura, Witty and Ryou.

"So, you decided to show up after all," Raphael taunted.

"Where is she!" Bakura yelled.

Raphael gave him a fake confused look. "Where is who?" he asked.

"Where's Hikaru! You'd better not have done anything to her!" Witty shouted.

The evil smile appeared on Raphael's face again as he stepped to the side, revealing Hikaru, who was tied up on the ground behind him. "She's fine, for now."

"Witty, get Ryou and Bakura out of here! He's going to do the same thing to them that he did to Yami and Yugi if you don't!" Hikaru shouted.

"Shut up, brat!" Raphael snapped, slapping her again.

This was more than enough for Bakura. He stepped forward, narrowing his eyes. "That's enough! Don't you touch her! Let's get on with this, and if I win, Hikaru comes with us, and you never bother her again!" Bakura growled.

"Fine, and if I win, and I will, I get your soul," Raphael said.

"No! Bakura, don't! Don't worry about me, I'll be fine!" Hikaru cried out, but Bakura seemed to be ignoring her.

Raphael smirked. "Fine, I'll start this off." Raphael drew a card and a slow, dark smile crept across his face again. "This will seal your fate, Ringbearer! I play the magic card Seal of Oricalchos!" he said, and a moment later, the Seal appeared on the field, knocking Ryou, Witty, and Hikaru back.

Hikaru looked up from where she had landed, her sapphire and golden eyes full of horror now.

"No!" she cried out. "Raphael, stop this!" she shouted, but he ignored her.

Ryou and Witty, realizing that Raphael could not stop them from getting to Hikaru now, ran over to the sorceress. Witty drew her dagger and cut Hikaru free, and the three of them turned to watch the face-off between Raphael and Bakura.

"Oh, Bakura," Hikaru whispered.

The duel continued on for what seemed like an eternity to the trio who looked on in a tense silence. At one point, Hikaru got up and tried to run to Bakura, but Witty and Ryou wouldn't let her. She sighed and turned back to watch, hating the fact that Raphael was putting one of the ones she loved in danger like this.

_When...when did I start to fall in love with Ryou and Bakura? _

She shut her eyes tightly for a moment, trying to will her crystal back to her, and, much to her relief, it answered her call, appearing around her neck again, and her powers slowly started to return to her. But she knew even that would not be enough to break through the Seal. She cursed to herself, then let out a soft gasp as Raphael called out one final attack, defeating Bakura. "No! Bakura!" she screamed. She started to run to him again, but Witty stopped her. Ryou got up and rushed over, willing the Millennium Ring to appear around his neck. He closed his eyes and touched the dangling pointers to the Seal and started to chant.

_"With the power of the Millennium Ring, I break the Seal!"_

A moment later, he pushed his way inside and shoved Bakura out of the way from behind. Bakura stumbled forward, turning back to look at Ryou in horror, realizing what he was trying to do. He stepped forward, his eyes having gone very wide.

"Ryou, no! Don't do this!" Bakura said.

Ryou smiled sadly at him. "I won't let it take you, Kura. It only needs one of us, so I'm letting it take me instead. I know you'll come for me. I'll wait for you." Suddenly Ryou cried out in pain as the Seal closed in around him, finally vanishing from the field and taking him with it.

"No! Ryou!"

"Ryou!" Hikaru screamed.

She and Witty exchanged looks. Then Hikaru got up and ran over to Bakura, who had fallen to his knees. Tears slid down her own ivory cheeks as she dropped to her knees in front of him. Bakura looked at her with empty, pain-filled eyes, then pulled the girl into his arms. She hid her face in his shirt and sobbed, not caring if she appeared weak now. Bakura tried to comfort her, and Witty came over to them, her eyes filled with sympathy.

"Hikaru? Bakura?" she said quietly.

Hikaru looked up at her, then glanced over her shoulder at Raphael, her two-tone eyes glowing with her pain and hatred as she glared at him. She pulled back from Bakura and stood up. A strange wind seemed to pick up, tearing at her hair and clothes gently. Her crystal glowed brightly, seemingly with a life all its own, its light twisting and curling around Hikaru. "Raphael, you'll pay for this. You'll pay dearly. Do you hear me! I won't let you get away with this!" she yelled, and started cursing at him in Atlantean again.

"What in the Shadow Realm?" Bakura started when Witty grabbed his arm and started to pull him away from the other two. "What are you doing, mortal!"

Witty pulled him behind some large rocks with her. "Trust me, I've seen her like this before. This isn't going to be pretty. You don't want to be in the line of fire. I think she's going to kill him."

Bakura looked over at Hikaru and paled slightly, nodding. "I see your point," he said, a bit nervously.

Hikaru, oblivious to this, summoned a dark energy ball into her hand, her eyes turning the color of crimson blood. She threw it at Raphael, but he dodged it. She cursed and threw another one at him, doing this repeatedly as everytime he managed to move out of the way. Witty realized that Hikaru was forcing him back towards where she and Bakura were hiding, apparently without even knowing what she was doing because she had become so furious. _Come on, just a little further, Hikaru..._

Witty drew her dagger when Raphael was only inches away from their hiding spot, trying not to make any noise. But Raphael had obviously heard the blade being removed from its sheath, because he turned around and grabbed Witty by the wrist, pulling her out into the open right as Hikaru threw another energy ball, this one much larger and darker than the previous ones. Raphael smirked and threw Witty into the blast. The thief-girl cried out in pain as it hit her, and it was only then that Hikaru seemed to snap out of her rage.

"Hikaru!" Witty yelled as she hit the ground.

Raphael, taking this as his chance to get out of there, took off running. Hikaru ignored him, rushing over to her friend. She knelt down beside her, muttering apologies as tears streamed down her face, horrified that she had hurt Witty, even if it was Raphael's fault.

"I'm sorry, Witty. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, forgive me," she said softly, barely noticing when Bakura knelt down at her side, pulling her into his arms.

"Hikaru, it wasn't your fault, it was Raphael's," Witty said reassuringly, sitting up.

Hikaru growled low in her throat and slammed her fist into the ground angrily. "He's going to pay for this! First Yugi, then Ryou, and now he made me hurt you!"

"Hikaru..." She put her hand on Hikaru's arm, trying to calm her friend. "Come on, let's get back to the others," she said quietly.

Bakura stood up, as did Hikaru. She helped Witty to her feet, letting the other girl lean on her. She clasped her crystal in her other hand and chanted a spell to teleport them. When they arrived, the others were still waiting outside for them. Hikaru fell to her knees, having used too much of her magic. She didn't move, tears streaming down her face.

"What happened?" Tea asked.

"Ryou's gone. Bakura lost the duel, and Ryou sacrificed himself like Yugi did," Hikaru whispered sadly.

"What!" the others shouted in unison.

"You heard me. Raphael took his soul," she said.

Bakura growled. "I'll kill him when we find him. Him, and anyone else involved in this."

Hikaru almost gasped, but managed to stop herself. _I can't...I can't let them find out who I am. Raphael, I swear, you'll pay for this. I'm coming for you! You will die at my hands for your treachery! Ryou, Yugi, be strong. Father, forgive me. I don't think I can go through with this. I've become too fond of these people. They've taken me in, treated me as one of their own. And Witty, I won't betray you. You've been there for me through everything that's happened._ She closed her eyes tightly for a moment to hold back her tears. _My spirit guardians, give me the strength to protect the ones I love. Please. I need your power and strength now more than ever._

-

_To Be Continued. Oh atrox, what have I done? Please, no one kill me for this. (Hugs Ryou, apologizing profusely to him) Things are getting a lot more complicated for our two heroines. And things only get worse for them from here on. I know I haven't updated this in a while, and for that I apologize. I'll try to get the next part up today too, but I make no promises. I most likely will, though, so not to worry. (Chibi Neko Smile) Some fluff to come later on between Hikaru and Bakura, but it's gonna turn into RyouxBakuraxHikaru eventually. Or will it if they discover Hikaru's secret? Mwah hahaha! You'll just have to come back and find out, won't you? (Evil laughter) Well, ja ne, minna-san!_

_-Hikaru Shinatoru-_


	15. Train Rides And Deadly Illusions

_Children Of The Oricalchos_

_Hikaru: Here's a new part of this!_

_Bakura: (Comes in, not looking too happy) Hikaru, what's this about Ryou's soul getting taken by that stupid mortal?_

_Hikaru: And here it comes...Bakura, please don't be upset with me. (Gives him the sad puppy eyes)_

_Witty: Yeah, don't get mad at her._

_Bakura: (Looks over at her.) Don't make me find another frog, mortal._

_Witty: (Glares) Don't even think about it._

_Bakura: Riiiiiiiiiiibit! (Cackles)_

_Witty: Oh, that's it, it's on now! (She pounces on him and the two are lost in an anime dustcloud fight)_

_Hikaru: Er, well...looks like I'm the one doing the disclaimer this time. We don't own YGO, but anything original is ours. And now, on with the fic while I try to keep those two from killing each other._  
-

_Chapter 15: Train Rides And Deadly Illusions_

Witty watched her friend. She looked at Bakura and found care in his dark eyes. _Ryou,_ she thought. _Oh Atrox, how can this have happened? Where did things go wrong? _

They said their goodbyes to Rebecca and Professor Hawkins before leaving for the train station. They waved goodbyes to Duke, as he would stay and look after the professor and his granddaughter. Once they were aboard, Witty, Hikaru and Bakura found seats farther back from where Tea and the pharaoh sat.

Witty leaned out in the aisle seat and tried to listen to their conversation, but she saw the pharaoh stand and walk off. She frowned and sighed. A faint memory of her master flashed in her mind and distant words came to mind: _"Fate does not always let you win." When had the Witty Phantom said that to her? Wasn't it just before he left her to..._ Witty closed her eyes to hold back tears. _That was the last time I saw him before he went off to meet the challenge of...of whoever challenged him to a fight. Just before he was killed..._Witty clenched her fists. She had heard the name _"Dartz"_ ever since her master had been killed, but was it the same Dartz that these people were after?

Witty looked ahead and saw Yami leaning against the wall in the cart-between-cars. He punched his fist to the wall and Witty suddenly knew how he felt.

"Are you alright?"

Witty looked over to Bakura who sat beside Hikaru. She nodded and looked to Hikaru.

Bakura looked solemnly at the girl who sat between him and Witty. He put his hand on her shoulder and Hikaru nodded to him, blushing only a bit. He asked her the same question and she nodded.

Witty smiled warmly at the boy. _Though his smirk be dark, he be kind..._ Witty's thoughts trailed.  
She stared at the ground for a while, but then Joey and Tristan passed them. Witty looked up.

"What's wrong?" Hikaru asked.

Joey looked around. "Everyone's gone!"

Witty, Hikaru and Bakura looked around.

"What the Shadow Realm...?" Bakura stood up and his eyes went wide.

Hikaru and Witty stepped away from their seats Witty looked toward the cart where Yami was and Joey and Tristan passed by her to tell the pharaoh. Once Yami realized the situation, he ran out of the cart and ran down to the next car.

Bakura growled. "How can...?" He shook his head and his white locks shifted every which way on his shoulders.

Suddenly, there came a loud sound of gears and bolts. The car Bakura, Witty and Hikaru stood in jerked forward and then slowly began to real back. Bakura hurried to the front of the car and opened the doorway that led to the next car. He gasped when he saw Joey and Tristan on the other side of the car as the metal clasp unhinged. Witty and Hikaru were at his side in seconds and they watched as the car drifted apart from them.

They heard a shout from someone call to Tea: "Jump!"

But that was the last they heard of the others as their car picked up speed, running the opposing way of the other two cars.

Bakura looked toward the other window on the other side of the car. His dark eyes widened in shock. "Hold on!"

The next thing Witty felt, was a bump on her head, and then she heard nor saw anything for a while.  
-

_To Be Continued. Well, here's the next part of this-written totally by Witty, btw. Things are getting worse for the two girls, it seems. Poor Ryou too...God, I feel so horrible for doing that. (Hugs Ryou again and is still apologizing to him.) Please RR! And no flames! Well, anyway, I'll try to get at least one, maybe two more chapters of this up tonight if I can (If my stupid laptop decides to cooperate with me, that is...) Ja ne, minna-san!_

_-Hikaru Shinatoru, Daughter of Shaadi and Dartz-_


End file.
